


When I Come Back to You (Re-write)

by FantasySpices



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Blood, Depression, Determination, Drowning (kinda), Drunken Shenanigans, Ecto-Penis, Ecto-Tongue, F/F, F/M, Female Frisk, Fighting, Fluff, Half-Human, Love, Love Triangle, M/M, Male Chara, Memories, More To Add Later, Mute Frisk, Nightmares, Possession, Pregnancy, Romance, Sensitive bones, Sexual Content, Tension, Time Travel, Vaginal Sex, ketchup
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-05
Updated: 2019-01-07
Packaged: 2019-08-19 06:50:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 72,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16529528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FantasySpices/pseuds/FantasySpices
Summary: So, I went back a while ago and read my original story and...It was a god damn dumpster fire, okay? It was a red-bull fueled lonely 20-something year old smut fanfiction. It was just...poorly written. I couldn't sit and let that define my writing skills so I'm literally re-writing this bitch. No, it's not gunna be perfect, yes, it's going to be less of an eyesore if I can help it. I'll be working on this off and on, so I hope everyone's prepared for this...and yeah, I'm gunna rush through "explaining why she's there" sometimes because nobody likes a broken record. Without further delay, here it is. Chapter 1: Revamped.





	1. The Start of the End

The crunching of snow beneath their feet was almost louder than the echoing roars and screams from deeper within the Underground. Ryou and Sans had escaped the carnage, but only by a hair. This was what Sans had been anticipating, the calamity that would befall their home at the hands of Flowey and a newly resurrected Chara. Sans knew it would only be a matter of time, so he worked himself to the bone trying to fix the time machine in the shed behind the house. 

“Hurry! We don’t have much time!” Sans yelled. 

Ryou nodded quickly as she followed, watching her step to make sure there would be nothing tripping her. Time was precious and…

“Sans? You’re bleeding!” She gasped as crimson dripped from under Sans’s labcoat into the powder below their feet, leaving a trail behind. 

“I’m fine, just keep moving!” He demanded, his eyes were dark, his expression angry and terrified. Emotions Ryou wasn’t used to seeing him wear. 

When they approached the padlocked door, Sans spared no time in using his magic to blow the door off its hinges, scattering the papers that lay inside into a mess on the tile floor. Once inside the lights flickered on and Sans ran to his machine. He ripped the sheet off it and began punching code into the computer beside it. With a loud hiss the machine’s pod opened. 

“What are we going to do Sans?” Ryou’s voice hid nothing, she was terrified and shaking violently. So many had died before her eyes today, so much destruction…

“I’m setting the coordinates now, I’m sending you back without me.” He winced, his arm was holding the wound beneath, blood was running through his bones, soaking his coat, and making a pool of crimson red at his feet. “You have to warn me about this, you have to make sure I know what’ll happen, Ryou.”

“By myself? But that wasn’t part of the plan, Sans! You promised-!” Without warning she was shoved into the pod. She turned as it closed, locking her inside. Her fist hit the glass. “Damn it Sans! I’m not leaving you here!”

He hit the button on the side and the machine started up, “I’m sorry, Ryou…” He lost his balance as he fell onto the floor, his body slowly turning to dust before her eyes. He gave her a sad smile before the machine whirred to life and the world was filled with hot white light. 

“Sans!” Her scream echoed into infinity, time started moving backward as a rift opened, flinging her into another timeline. Hers was now abandoned, Flowey and Chara got what they wanted…

The time machine began to disappear and she was flung into a freefall. Hot tears rushed past her face, she couldn’t hold onto anything except the blue sweater she wore. His sweater. She couldn’t do anything but wait, wait for her to find her destination. She was terrified, she didn’t know where she would end up, how far back she would find herself, or even if she was a part of this timeline. She just knew her soul ached and she was alone. When another void opened she fell into it, and went into a freefall. She didn’t know for sure, but before she hit the ground, she could’ve sworn she was falling onto a bed of golden flowers. 

 

Ryou woke with a start, her eyes flinging open as she gasped for air. She was drenched in sweat and shaking, where was she? 

“Sans..?” She murmured out as she sat up. It then clicked in her mind, his machine worked. But…this was Toriel’s house, this was Frisk’s room. She knew this house like the back of her hand. She had no idea what the hell was happening but she was grateful she was alone. Curling her legs to her chest she cried. She’d just lost everything. She was a lone survivor of her timeline, the only one who knew what was coming to this timeline if she didn’t warn everyone. She just needed a little while to grieve. The monsters that practically raised her had been murdered before her, the monster she loved died saving her…nothing could’ve prepared her for the pain that accompanied it. 

A soft knock on the door made Ryou jump and freeze in place. She waited and after a moment the door opened and a small head peaked in. Ryou’s heart lept in her chest as Frisk looked at her and a wide smile appeared on her face. The door opened more and standing behind it was Toriel holding a slice of cinnamon butterscotch pie. 

“How are you feeling, dear?” Toriel asked as she approached Ryou, handing the plate to her with a gentle smile. 

Ryou looked at the pie, her hands were shaking violently, “Toriel…” She couldn’t help throwing the blankets off herself and throwing herself into the goat woman’s arms. She sobbed. She was so happy to see her again. There was a tug on her sweater and she turned to see Frisk smiling sadly at her. 

“Frisk…” She ruffled the child’s hair before looking back at Toriel. “I’m so sorry for intruding…but I didn’t have a choice. I’ll explain…”

Ryou explained what happened in her timeline, the events that took place and why she was there. Toriel looked at Frisk and she nodded solemnly in response. “The only one who would remember me is Frisk, even if its only a little bit. Because of her ability to reset, she can see other timelines, if only glimpses of them. At least, that’s what our Frisk told me.”

Frisk nodded and signed, ‘It’s true. When I saw you I caught glimpses of your timeline…I’m so sorry.’

Ryou shook her head, “Don’t be. If I’m successful with stopping Chara and Flowey in this timeline, I might be able to restore mine.”

Toriel looked perplexed but nodded, “I’m a little confused, but I see your intentions are pure. And your hoodie, it was your Sans’?”

Ryou touched the cuff of the sleeve and nodded, “It was a gift before everything happened…” She swallowed a sob and kept herself composed. “He told me to warn the Sans in this timeline.”

Frisk signed again, ‘Sentry duty.’

“At which of his stations?” Ryou asked, turning her full attention to the child. 

‘Snowdin sentry station.’ They signed. ‘Want me to go with you?’

“No Frisk, I need you here. Ryou will be alright, she knows the Underground already.” Toriel reassured the pouting child. 

“Everything will be fine!” Though she wasn’t too confident in her own words, Ryou forced herself to give Frisk a confident smile. 

Frisk gave a slight sigh then signed, ‘Be careful out there.’

“Are you sure you want to leave now, dear? You did just wake up from a very nasty fall.” Toriel asked, obviously trying to coax her into staying a little longer. 

“I’ll come back again soon, I just REALLY have to get this information to Sans.” She touched her forehead and sighed. “Earning his trust isn’t going to be easy.”

Toriel smiled, “Just tell him something only you know about him, I’m sure he will listen after that.”

 

The moment the door closed behind her she shuddered involuntarily. It was freezing, and yet again, she damned herself for being half human. The cold was always hard on her, and since she had just come from the warmth of Toriel’s home, it was a huge change in temperature. She shivered a bit as she trudged through the snow, unknowingly to her that she was being followed. Walking over a few fallen branches and stones, she made it to the bridge. The same bridge she’d met Sans at, the same place she knew they would meet again. 

“Human.”

She felt her soul shiver and she whipped around, surprising the monster standing before her. They stared at one another for a long moment, Ryou could hardly breathe. She felt her lip quiver and she reached her hand to touch his face. He was frozen in place, obviously caught completely off guard as she pulled him into a tight hug. 

“You really know how to say hello. Do I uh…do I know ya?” He asked in a shaky voice, muffled slightly in the fluff of her sweater. 

Ryou pulled back immediately, her face red, realizing she would be a total stranger to him, “Oh gosh, I’m sorry! I forgot…” She mentally kicked herself. “You don’t know who I am yet. I got a little excited, sorry.”

He looked her over a moment warily, “No worries…” He cleared his ‘throat’. “So uh…nice sweater. Looks just like mine.” Ryou looked down at it, her pink irises resting on the blue fabric. “Except a little more worn. And your Orange Scarf…”

Her eyes looked up and stared into his, she didn’t know it was possible, but the lights in his eyes were brighter than she remembered, happier, something about it soothed her worry. So, this Sans wasn’t obsessed with Flowey and Chara the way her’s was. But she could understand that he was completely on guard. She was a stranger after all. 

“Speaking of my brother,” Sans said, nodding behind her. “Here he comes now.”

Ryou turned around and her eyes landed on the taller brother, Papyrus. She felt her lip quiver as tears welled in her eyes. He was alive. She walked towards him, and before she could stop herself she was sprinting at Papyrus. 

“AH! A HUMAN APPROACHES!” He struck a valiant pose before continuing his usual phrase. “I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL CAPTURE YOU! ARE YOU-…HUMAN?” Ryou threw her arms around Papyrus, crying as she did. She was so happy to see him she couldn’t help the tears that followed. “UH…SANS? I THINK I BROKE THE HUMAN!”

“Yeah, she’s a weirdo.” Sans chuckled from behind her. 

Ryou pulled away and looked up at Papyrus, “I didn’t think I’d ever see you again, Paps…” She sniffled. “I’m just happy to see you.”

He seemed confused but happy either way, “WELL! I SEE YOU ARE SO HAPPY TO SEE MY GREATNESS YOU’RE REDUCED TO TEARS! VERY WELL, FOR NOW I SHALL ALLOW YOU TO PASS! BUT NEXT TIME I SHALL CAPTURE YOU…STRANGE…HUMAN..? NYEH…” He looked around awkwardly before walking back the way he’d come. 

Ryou wiped her eyes as Sans spoke up, “Kinda funny, you seem to know us but I can’t recall meeting someone like you. I’d recognize eyes like yours, they aren’t human.”

She couldn’t help gripping her sleeve tightly, “I won’t sugarcoat this for you, Sans, so I’ll come right out and say it.” He raised a boney brow at her, waiting for her to start explain herself. “I’m from the future…or in a sense, another timeline.”

That seemed to catch him off guard but he still appeared skeptical, “Say I believe you, why are you here?”

Her eyes welled up, “This isn’t the place to speak of this, Sans. I don’t know who might be watching or listening in.”

“We can go to my place and talk there, but I want you to explain everything to me, then.” His eye glowed threateningly. “Got it?”

She’d be lying if she didn’t say she missed his puns and jokes right about now, “Yeah, let’s go.”

 

The moment they teleported to the house Ryou froze and looked around. Snowdin, the way Snowdin should be. She felt a wave of relief as she went to grab the doorhandle, as though when she opened it she would find out this had all been a nightmare and her Sans would be there sleeping on the couch or in the kitchen laughing about a pun, forcing Papyrus to groan. But she knew better. When the door opened she was surprised to see the house was much more clean than she remembered. 

Just then Papyrus’s bedroom door swung open and Sans walked out, but stopped at the top of the stairs, watching her take in the house, “Look familiar?”

She closed the door behind herself, walking into the house and looking around with the biggest sense of nostalgia, “It’s missing a few things from my timeline, stains, pictures, cobwebs…” She laughed softly to herself, but she could feel the simmering sadness that sat in the pit of her stomach. “It reminds me this isn’t my timeline…”

He made his way down the stairs, “You have my full attention now.” He eyes her again, he obviously didn’t trust her. But then again, who would after dropping a bomb like that?

“You um…might want to sit down for this, Sans. It’s a lot to take in.” She warned him. She knew if she was in his place her knees would betray her. 

He sighed and sat on the couch opposite her, his eyes trained on her every move, “Alright, I’m sitting.”

She took a shaky, uneven breath. She wasn’t ready to do this by herself but she had no choice now, “Just stay calm, alright?” She insisted before starting. “We don’t know all the details, but Chara was resurrected, and not just resurrected, but filled with determination like we’ve never seen. They were angry. They teamed up with Flowey and before we knew it everything started falling apart. They…started with Papyrus. Flowey was inside him, thorns and vines inside and out of his body, torturing him until…” She clenched her fists. “After that, you began trying to find a way to go back. You said something about a time machine, and for two weeks we were in hiding while the underground rose up in a panic. Dust was everywhere. My Sans sent me here to warn you. We were supposed to come together but…he didn’t make it…” She forced the tears back and took a deep breath. She looked at Sans with sad eyes. “I guess you could say we were a bit of an item in my timeline, so I apologize for the odd first meeting. I…was a little too overjoyed to see you.”

He rubbed the back of his skull, his tense demeanor now completely vanished, “I at least make a pun before I dusted?”

Ryou shook her head, “No, but that would’ve been just like you.” A sob escaped her lips and she pressed her hand to her mouth, trying to cover her face. Ryou was still wearing the same clothes she had on the day the attack happened. Black combat boots, stripped black and white stockings, a black plaid skirt, white crop top, Papyrus’s scarf and Sans’s hoodie. It was all she had from her timeline, the only things she had to remember her family by. 

Startled by the sudden outburst of tears, Sans panicked, “H-Hey, come on, don’t cry, kid.” He got up and knelt before her, using a boney hand to wipe her tears away. “Come on, I know what’ll cheer you up.” She stopped sobbing, looking at him questioningly. “Let’s go to Grillby’s. His food always puts a smile on my face.” 

She couldn’t deny it, she was starving. She’d accidently left the pie Toriel gave her on the bed before rushing out here. She nodded, sniffling a bit as she tried to smile, “I’d like that.”

That made him relax, “Good, you can treat me.” He winked.


	2. Familiar Food and Old friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I sincerely hope this is sounding better than the first one lol I tried to keep to the same basic script but...heh, changes needed to be made. Subtle changes, but changes non-the-less.
> 
> ...why are puns so hard to make when you're writing them?

The moment the door opened Ryou was struck with the familiar sounds and smells of her favorite restaurant in the Underground: Grillby’s. There was nothing quite like the wafting smell of a burger and fries from this place. The warm and welcoming atmosphere, the patrons, the food, and the memories, they all held a special place in her soul. Unsurprisingly, nobody seemed to know her or acknowledge her, but they all greeted Sans with the usual afternoon banter. Once at the bar Grillby looked at Sans questioningly, obviously not used to seeing him in another’s company. 

“Hey there Grillbz,” Sans started as he and Ryou took a seat. “Usual bottle of ketchup for me.”

“A burger and fries for me, and a bottle of ketchup on the side, please.” Ryou said, giving Grillby a warm smile. 

With that he made his exit, heading back into the kitchen. There was a moment of silence before Sans spoke up, “You know, if you wanted Ketchup on your food I would’ve shared.” He chuckled awkwardly. 

“I got a bottle for myself, it’s pretty good.” She said with a shrug. “Just one of many things you and I had in common.”

Sans eyed her a bit before chuckling and nodding in agreement, “I’ll have to ketchup on that.”

Ryou snorted, “Good one.”

“So, you know me and I know absolutely nothing about you. I don’t even know your name…you’re like a stalker, but with good intentions.” He grinned at her as she realized her mistake. 

“I didn’t tell you my..?” She sighed, a red flush creeping into her cheeks. “Sorry about that. I’m Ryou.” She said as she extended her hand to shake his. He looked at it warily before reciprocating. “Its just…been a really long day.”

“I know that feeling.” He admitted as Grillby returned from the kitchen. He placed her food before her then placed two bottles of Ketchup in front of them. “Thanks bud.”

“Thank you, it looks delicious!” She said gratefully before opening the bottle of ketchup and proceeding to chug down its contents. 

Sans and Grillby watched her in shocked silence as she set the empty bottle on the counter and sighed contently. They shared a long look before Sans opened his own, “Didn’t think anybody drank ketchup like I do.” He admitted awkwardly. “But then again, you’re not exactly human.”

“You’re right…not exactly…” She began to dig into her food, cutting off the conversation. 

“So, what are you, some kind of monster human hybrid?” He joked, but upon seeing her long pause and worried look his chuckling died and he cleared his throat. “Hit the nail on the head I guess.” She just continued eating. She needed food more than conversation, but she would have to explain it eventually, that much she knew. “So, what’s your future like? Your timeline? You know, before the…” He gestured, unable to finish his sentence. 

Ryou finished her bite before smiling, “It was the best, I miss you guys a lot.”

“Well, I am a very handsome Skeleton after all.” He gave her a wink and chuckled as her cheeks flushed. 

She glared, but she couldn’t help smiling, “Someone’s a little full of himself.”

“It’s humerus you think so.” He said, eyeing her playfully as he drank his Ketchup.

She opened her mouth to retort but she wound up laughing instead. When she calmed enough to talk she sighed and gave him a genuine smile, “Been a while since I’ve heard that one.”

“Been a while since I’ve made someone laugh with that one. Guess I’ve gotten pretty punny.” 

She rolled her eyes but giggled, “That’s a stretch, even for you, Sans.”

He shrugged. Ryou could see he was relaxing, that was a good sign. He spoke up then, “So, your dad and mom live in the underground with you? I mean, you’re half human and half monster. Who’s your dad? Do I know him?”

Her smile fell as she shook her head, “No…I don’t know who my dad is. My mother raised me on the surface until…” She shook her head, she didn’t want to remember the details. “Point is, I have no idea what my father looks like…”

“Well, there’s a select few with eyes like yours, but I’m sure in your timeline you and myself established we weren’t related…please tell me you did.”

She laughed, a little louder than before, “We’re not related Sans, trust me.”

He let out a loud sigh of relief, “Good…so, you mother never told you who he was or what he looked like?”

“She tried but…” Ryou sighed, picking up a fry before shoving it into her mouth. “She could never remember his face, what he sounded like…nothing. She tried, but she said it was like something was blocking it out of her memory.” She smiled awkwardly. “Sorry, I don’t wanna bum you out. Let’s talk about something else.” The look on Sans’s face confused her. Like she’d upset him. “Sans..?”

He shook himself out of his trance and sighed, “Sorry. I um…I was just thinking about my old man.” She said before bringing the bottle to his mouth once more, but then let out a sigh and held it out for Ryou. “Here, you can have the rest, I don’t have the stomach for it.” He gave her a lopsided grin, a little lazier than before.

Ryou hesitated but took the bottle anyway, “Thanks.” She said as she put the bottle to her lips and drank down the contents. She felt some drip down her face and she stopped quickly to catch the drip. She was frozen, cheeks burning in embarrassment as she swallowed and looked to Sans for a napkin.

He snorted, laughing a bit as he grabbed a napkin and helped her wipe it away, “Jeez kid, you’re messier than Frisk.”

Ryou snatched the napkin from him and stuck out her tongue, “FYI, Frisk has always been messy.” She wiped her face properly before digging into her food once more. 

After a few minutes of Sans lazily watching her eat an entire burger and basket of fries Ryou sight contently, rubbing her stomach as she attempted to relax against the seat. “It’s a miracle you managed to eat that much.” Sans said, obviously impressed. 

Grinning like an idiot she shrugged, “You, me, and Papyrus used to have eating contests when I was younger.”

“How old were you when you fell?”

Ryou thought on that, it was a long time ago but she remembered it like it happened yesterday, “I was six when the villagers came. They called me so many horrible things, beat me senseless, and tossed me into the mountain where they believed I would fall down to my death. Human’s aren’t all good, but they aren’t all bad either…” She sighed. “You ready to get out of here?”

“Yeah, let’s head back. Papyrus is probably at home by now.” Sans said as he hopped off the bar stool. 

“What about the bill..?” Ryou asked, looking between Grillby and Sans. 

Sans shrugged, “Hey Grillbz, put it on my tab, would ya?”

The fire elemental nodded, pulling out a piece of paper and jotting down the amount due. Ryou hopped down to the floor, she was still impressed with the height of the stools, some monsters were large, yeah, but damn if these didn’t make her feel smaller than normal. 

Once they got outside Ryou let out a whistle, bundling up a bit as the cold hit her, “A bit of a shame I didn’t inherit temperature resistance from my parents.” She said as she shook off the sudden chill. “It is refreshing though.”

Sans shoved his hands in his pockets, “Lucky for us, Undyne hates the cold, so you won’t have any issues with her for the time being. Unfortunately, you look human from a distance and you know Undyne, she’s trigger happy. If it’s shaped like a human, it’s a human.” Sans said looking over at Ryou with a grin. Ryou smiled, her memory of Undyne was never without excitement, a shame this Undyne didn’t share the same memories. 

Opening the front door to the house, Sans was immediately bombarded by Papyrus who was excited and confused, “BROTHER, THERE YOU ARE! I WAS STARTING TO BECOME A BIT…WORRIED.” As Sans walked in Papyrus noticed Ryou trailing in behind him. “OH! IT IS THE HUMAN FROM THE BRIDGE!”

“Hey Paps.” Ryou said with a shy smile, waving at him from behind Sans. 

Papyrus leaned in beside his brother and attempted to speak softly, “Is She Our Prisoner?”

Sans pat his brother’s head affectionately, “No, she’s a guest. Funny thing too, she ain’t even all human.”

Papyrus looked surprised but was immediately distracted, “WHAT A LOVELY ORANGE SCARF! I HAVE ONE JUST LIKE IT!” Papyrus said as he pulled it out from his shirt. “SEE?” He said proudly, showing Ryou the almost pristine orange scarf around his neck. “DID YOUR BROTHER MAKE YOU ONE AS WELL?”

Ryou laughed nervously, “Ah, no, I have no siblings, Paps. I uh…it was a gift from a close friend. His brother made it for him.”

Sans inched away from the two before flopping onto the couch and flipping on the TV, “Hey, you guys can ketchup on scarf stories later, I think our guest needs to relax for a bit before she pasta-away.”

Papyrus made an indescribable hissing grunt while Ryou giggled to herself, trying all he could not to blow up at his brother, after a moment he calmed and pinched the bridge of his nose…if he had one, “SANS…ONE DAY WITHOUT YOUR PUNS, THAT’S ALL I ASK…” Papyrus looked frustrated, but Ryou knew the truth. Papyrus secretly loved Sans’s jokes, he just wouldn’t admit it. 

 

Ryou took her time sinking into the plush cushions of the couch, she didn’t remember her couch being this comfortable. She felt like she hadn’t relaxed in weeks, it had been a while since she’d had restful sleep or a moment to really let loose. She pulled off her boots, curled up against the couch before letting out a loud yawn, she could fall asleep at any moment. Seeing the brother’s alive and beside her helped ease her mind enough to get sleepy. She leaned against Sans, resting her head against his shoulder as she battled to stay awake, and it was a battle she was quickly losing. 

Sans stiffened, looking down at her confused as Papyrus peaked over Sans’s head, “SHE MUST BE TIRED.”

Sans laughed softly, “Yeah, she looks exhausted.”

“SHE CAN SLEEP IN MY ROOM!”

Sans smiled but shook his head, “Nah bro, she can sleep in my room tonight. You and I can bunk in your room since I know you hate sleeping in mine.”

“JUST LIKE WHEN WE WERE SMALL!” Papyrus said excitedly. 

“Yeah, just like back then.” He said tiredly as he pat Papyrus’s shoulder. “I’ll get her up to my room, you go get ready for bed.” Papyrus took no time in rushing excitedly up to his room. Sans took a moment to prepare himself.

“AND NO PUNS IN MY ROOM OR YOU’RE SLEEPING ON THE COUCH!” Papyrus warned from the doorway. 

Sans waved him off as he gently shook Ryou, “Hey, there’s a warm bed callin’ your name, kid.”

He had to lean back a bit as she turned, her face less than an inch from his, “S’okay…I’ll sleep here…” She mumbled before letting out a loud yawn. 

He sighed, “Come on, lazy bones.” He teased, pulling her against him so he could help her walk to his room. He didn’t want to risk teleporting her while she was half asleep, so he settled for practically dragging her up the stairs and into his room. “I got some of my clothes you can sleep in since yours are still a bit damp from the snow.” He sat her on his bed as he turned to grab a shirt and shorts from his drawer. When he turned around he dropped the clothes and covered his eyes. “Holy hell! Warn me before you start undressing!”

Ryou mumbled something but he couldn’t understand what she said, he grabbed the clothes and all but threw them at her. When she was dressed he helped her under the blankets and before he could get a word out she was dead asleep. He could only stare at her for a moment before running a hand over his face. He was exhausted. “Night, kid.” He mumbled before exiting his room and making his way into Papyrus’s bedroom. 

 

Morning came and Ryou woke up feeling stiff and groggy, humming a bit as she stretched her arms and back until several parts of her body shifted into place with a satisfying pop. It was morning, that much she could tell, despite the lack of sunlight outside the window. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and listened for the brothers and thankfully caught both of them snoring in the other room. She was a little grateful for a moment to herself. At least, that would’ve been the case if small footsteps running into the house hadn’t caught her attention. She recognized them immediately. 

When the door opened to Sans’s room and Frisk peaked in, her face lit up and she smiled happily. Ryou smiled back and waved, “Morning, Frisk, I didn’t know you were here.”

Frisk jumped onto the bed with an excited smile and signed, ‘Mom dropped me off a moment ago, just came up to see if you guys were awake.’

Ryou ruffled the child’s hair, “Did you have breakfast?”

Frisk shook her head, ‘No, mom was in a bit of a hurry and told me to ask uncle Sans to make me something.’

That wasn’t surprising, Toriel often did that when Asgore needed her assistance with royal affairs. Ryou sighed and gave Frisk a reassuring smile, “Let’s let your uncles sleep, yeah? I’ll make us something.”

Frisk nodded happily, ‘Sounds great! …By the way, have you found anything out about Flowey and Chara?’

It was definitely too early to think about the possible genocide coming to this timeline, “No, but don’t worry, I warned Sans and we’re going to get this figured out.” She assured Frisk. 

‘I hope so…’ She said solemnly, then immediately perked up. ‘In the meantime, let’s have pancakes!’

Count on Frisk to change the subject so abruptly, “Sounds good to me, maybe your uncles have some fruit in the fridge or something that I can add.” Even though she was pretty sure at this point the entire house was just filled with spaghetti and nothing else. “If not we might have to go shopping…”

Following Frisk to the kitchen she took a quick peak in on the brothers, just to make sure they were still asleep. They were sprawled on Papyrus’s racecar bed, Sans’s leg hung off the side and Papyrus was hogging the blanket against the wall, all the while they both continued to snore peacefully in their sleep. She smiled, it had been a long time since she’d seen them like this, she almost wished she had a phone she could take pictures with. 

She made her way to the kitchen and go started on the food, cracking a few eggs and readying the pancake batter. Frisk, thankfully, found a bag of dried strawberries in the cupboard to which Ryou took no time in dumping half the bag into the batter and getting them ready on the griddle. 

“Hey, Frisk? Why don’t you go wake your uncles, the food will be ready in less than five minutes and I want them to eat while it’s still hot.” 

Frisk saluted and off she went, running up the stairs, tripping a bit before getting to Papyrus’s room and opening the door. Ryou hoped Frisk would be gentle about waking them, but deep down she knew Frisk loved nothing more than annoying her uncles. It didn’t take long for Papyrus’s startled yelp to let her know Frisk had executed her plan. Shaking her head she flipped a pancake, she could only smile to herself, she felt at home again…somewhat. 

“Smells good.” 

Ryou almost jumped out of her skin as she turned to see Sans grinning at her from the table, she glared at him slightly before turning back to scoop up the pancake and place it on a plate, “I hate when you do that…” She mumbled then sighed as she placed another pancake on his plate. “Here, breakfast today is strawberry pancakes. Special request from my favorite human.” She giggled as she set the plate before him. 

“IS THE HUMAN COOKING?” Papyrus asked as he came into the kitchen with Frisk giggling on his shoulders. 

“Yeah. Kinda nice to have a break from cooking, eh, Paps?” Sans chuckled, a gleam in his eye. “But you know nobody…STACKS up to your cooking.” 

“SANS!” Papyrus warned, setting Frisk on her feet and placing his hands on his hipbones. “ITS TOO EARLY FOR THIS!”

Ryou did her best to stifle her laughter as she continued to cook the pancakes, “Now, now Sans, wouldn’t want your brother to…FLIP out.” 

“GGRRRAHHHHHHHHHHHH!” Papyrus shrieked. The kitchen was filled with laughter as Papyrus sat down and folded his arms, Pouting, “MY MORNING IS RUINED!”

Sans wiped away a fake tear, shrugging a bit as he contained himself, “Sorry bro.”

Ryou placed two more plates for Frisk and Papyrus, both of them looking at the steamy, fluffy stack before them. She grinned to herself before saying, “Wait until I finish so we can all dig in together.”

Frisk reluctantly placed her pancake back on her plate, Sans chuckled to himself as he watched the kid bounce impatiently in her seat, “So, how’s your mom been?”

Frisk managed to stop bouncing and signed, ‘Stressed, since Dad’s been getting thing’s ready with the upcoming tax day, Mom’s been working on the building plans in Waterfall. More houses need to be built…things like that.’

When Ryou finished getting her pancakes she turned off the stove and placed her plate down in the empty seat beside Sans and let out the breath she’d been holding. She was starving at this point. “I hope you guys like them.”

Sans leaned on his arm and eyed her, “You know, you didn’t have to cook, right? Normally Paps and the squirt cook when she’s here.”

Ryou smiled sadly at him, “Yeah but Frisk wanted food and you guys were sleeping…” She fidgeted nervously. “I just wanted to be helpful while I’m here.”

“Well, since you know your way around a stove-” Ryou shot him a look and he held up his hands defensively. “Maybe you could give Pap’s a few pointers? He’s pretty good already but sometimes he burns himself.”

Ryou sat, thoughtfully thinking it over, “I suppose I could, this is the first meal I’ve cooked in a long time. You stopped eating everything I made after a while so I just…stopped cooking…” She bit her lip, realizing she sounded depressed. “I-If it helps keep Papyrus from burning himself I’d be happy to do what I can!” She’d wasted a lot of food, catching Sans passed out at Grillbys after long hours in the lab. He refused to eat at home anymore…he’d become so distant before everything fell apart…

A gentle hand on Ryou’s shoulder brought her out of her thoughts, “What’s eatin’ ya?” Sans asked, he looked worried.

“Nothing, was just…thinking about the past.” She tried to give him a reassuring smile. “I’m alright.”

He seemed unconvinced, his hand lingering on her shoulder before he gave it a gentle pat and returned it to his plate, “You’ve been through a lot, but you’re safe here. Relax a bit, don’t want to worry the kid too much.” 

Ryou glanced at Frisk who was tearing into her pancake, syrup dribbled off her chin and back onto the plate as she chewed happily. She smiled, maybe this was a second chance? A chance at a happier life? “Thank’s Sans.” She murmured before digging into her food. 

He watched her for a moment before digging in himself, she may be a stranger to him, but the reality was he was no stranger to her. If he tried, maybe they could be friends? Only time would tell.


	3. Distant Memory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I had to completely re-write this chapter from scratch because the original was just...  
> ANYWAY! Here you go :3c

It had been a particularly snowy morning, so much so, that Frisk immediately wanted to go outside and play. Being a little reluctant, Ryou offered to just watch. She was still getting used to how things worked in this timeline, it was surely a lot more friendly and happy than where she’d been from. Now that she thought about it, she wasn’t always so used to Sans laughing and crackling jokes. In her timeline, he was a bit more edgy and untrusting; which got worse after what happened to Papyrus. She could only hope this timeline could be spared from whatever glitch or plague brought Chara back from death…even if they were human once, the creature that prowled around with Flower had been anything but human inside that husk. Remembering the wicked red of their eyes made her shiver involuntarily. 

“Spacing out again?” Sans asked, walking out of the house to stand beside her as Frisk lead Papyrus out to the deeper snow. 

Ryou shrugged, her eyes locked on the two kindred spirits frolicking among the powdery snow, “Just thinking about my home. I’ve started seeing the differences in our timelines. You’re a lot more relaxed and happy than my Sans was. He was always going on about science type things he knew I wouldn’t understand. He was over protective, helped me grow into a suitable adult then kinda…” Her face turned red. “It wasn’t official, at least, not in words. My life was simple, but happy. At least…I’d like to believe it was.”

Sans gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder, “You don’t have to get into it right now. Take your time.” He released her and joined Papyrus in playing with Frisk. 

Ryou sat on the steps, keeping her hands warm in the pockets of the blue hoodie. She puffed out air, causing her bangs to shift over out of her face as she watched the group play. It was when she saw Frisk flying up and down that she realized they were tossing Frisk around like a football. Startled she stood again and yelled, “Guys! That’s dangerous!”

Sans turned his head to look at her, “Come on, you think we would-“ Sans, a little too concentrated on Ryou, tossed Frisk a little too hard and realized a moment too late as she whizzed past Papyrus, laughing and screaming all the way. “Drop…her-her-PAPYRUS!” Sans yelled in a panic.

Ryou’s body was moving before her brain could catch up, she was running so fast everything seemed to slow down. Rushing to catch Frisk she didn’t give any thought to how she was accomplishing it, her body had never moved this quickly before. Launching herself up she grabbed onto Frisk’s arm, pulling her to Ryou’s chest as they fell, tumbling into the snow before sliding to a stop. Ryou was panting hard, her lungs ached but she’d caught the kid just in time.

‘Again! Again!’ They signed quickly, a massive grin plastered on their face. 

“If I have to run to catch you again, not a chance in hell.” She grumbled, getting to her feet and dusting off the freezing powder clumped to the fabric of her sweater. 

Papyrus and Sans rushed over, looking over Frisk for injuries and sighing in relief when they realized she was fine. Then they turned to her, Papyrus speaking first, “THAT WAS INCREDIBLE! IT WAS ALMOST LIKE YOU TELEPORTED YOU MOVED SO QUICKLY! NICE CATCH TOO! OUR LITTLE HUMAN WOULD’VE CERTAINLY BEEN HURT, YOU HAVE MY GRATITUDE!”

She shook her head, “Frisk is a human, you guys should be more careful with her.” She scolded placing her hands on her hips. She watched the brother’s exchange a look before apologizing to Frisk. Frisk looked more confused and a little sad that she wouldn’t be playing the tossing game anymore, though despite Frisk’s disappointment, she turned to Ryou and signed. 

‘Thank you for saving me.’

Ryou pat Frisk’s head, ruffling the snow out of her brunette hair, “Just be more careful and play…less dangerous games.” She tried to emphasize. 

“Are you hurt?” Sans asked, his hands deep in his pockets and a guilty smile on his face. This guy…

“I’m fine.” Ryou mumbled, realizing her backside was getting wet from the snow melting against the warmth of her body. “Just a little wet.”

“How did you do that?”

Ryou cocked her head, “Do what?”

“You were in one place one minute, then catching Frisk the next. You…you teleported.”

Ryou’s eyes widened, “I thought there was something weird about how I was running.” She murmured before getting lost in thought.

“I didn’t know you could use magic.” He admitted. 

She shook her head quickly, “I can’t! I mean…I couldn’t, not before now at least.”

“Well, you are half monster. Maybe you’re just a late bloomer?”

“LATE BLOOMER OR NOT, SHE CAN USE MAGIC! HOW EXCITING! WE SHOULD CELEBRATE WITH SPAGHETTI!” Papyrus cheered gleefully. 

Ryou’s cheeks burned as she looked at her hands, “I don’t really feel any different, maybe it was a one time thing?”

“Young monsters start showing their powers at a young age and it takes time for abilities to make themselves known. Little sparks will crop up here and there. How old are you? It might be due to your age.”

“I’m Twenty-one.” 

He calculated the numbers in his head, she knew that look anywhere. When he finished he smiled awkwardly before saying, “Definitely a late bloomer.”

She rolled her eyes dramatically, “Yeah, thanks.”

His cheekbones dusted with a light blue hue as he chuckled, rubbing his skull slightly, “Nothing wrong with being a late bloomer.”

She shrugged, “Wouldn’t know, honestly.” She turned her attention to Papyrus and Frisk. “You guys go play, I’ll continue to keep watch.”

The two smiled happily before bounding back into the fresh powder. Ryou walked with Sans back to the porch steps and plopped down beside her as she sat. She gave him a questioning look and he shrugged, “I’m bone tired.” 

She smiled at that and turned her attention back to the others, “It’s nice, seeing them like this.”

Sans nodded, leaning back against the steps and breathing out a warm puff of air. That still fascinated her, the brothers were an enigma. Sans turned to look at her, “Since Frisk came here, Papyrus has been fighting to stay friends. They are living down here now with Toriel and Asgore, but I’m sure you knew that.”

Ryou shifted a bit, shaking her head solemnly, “In my timeline, Frisk was only living with Toriel. Asgore…” She sighed and placed a hand on her forehead. “He and Toriel never saw eye to eye ever again. In fact, she kicked him out of the castle and forced him into the ruins to live out his days in solitude. Though, you, papyrus, and I went to visit him all the time. Toriel, in my own opinion, was an outstanding queen, but she was bitter.”

There was a pause before Sans spoke, “Sounds like you miss it.”

Ryou shrugged, “I’m likely to never see it again. I guess this timeline is my home from now on.”

Sans placed a hand on hers but kept his gaze on the two, “Again, you don’t have to talk about this right now. It’s still fresh. Paps and I will see to it you’re comfortable here the best we can.”

She smiled gratefully, “I guess I’m pretty lucky then.”

Papyrus and Frisk were laughing as he swung her around playfully, trying his best to be gentle with her. Ryou touched her scarf as she said, “Frisk and Papyrus are a silly bunch. I really love that kid.” She hadn’t seen what Sans was doing beside her, but when she looked over she noticed a large ball of snow floating beside him as he picked up more and added to the pile. “Uh…Sans?”

“Yeah, Frisk is pretty great.” He said with a devious smile as he positioned the snow above Papyrus and Frisk as the began to build a snow fort. “Bombs away.”

Ryou stifled a laugh as the two were buried under the snow. It didn’t take long for Papyrus to make his way out of it and yell, “SANS!”

“Cold enough for ya?” Sans snickered. 

“IT’S FREEZING! RIGHT DOWN TO MY BO-“ He pause and glared at Sans who was trying his best to stifle his own laughter. 

“Come on Paps, say it? Eh? Say it?” Sans urged, that playful gleam in his eye. 

“I’M FREEZING, RIGHT DOWN TO MY BONES!” Papyrus hissed. 

Sans laughed, “Sorry bro.”

Papyrus turned away and began digging for Frisk, ignoring Sans’s attempts to get his attention. Sans frowned, then the devilish grin returned, “Aw, Paps, come on, don’t give me the cold shoul-!” Sans fell backwards as a snowball hit him square in the face. “Derrrr…” He said, muffled through the snow now caught in his mouth. 

Papyrus was panting, obviously put out by Sans’s antics, “DON’T START WITH ME!”

Sans wiped the snow off his face and grinned, “You wanna play like that, huh?” Sans let his magic pull up some snow, patted them into a ball. 

“SANS! DON’T YOU DARE-!” Papyrus was cut off and buried once more in the snow. 

Frisk popped up a moment later and signed enthusiastically, ‘Snowball fight!’

When Papyrus climbed out, he was red in the face…bones, and used his own magic to do the same, “YOU’RE ASKING FOR IT NOW!”

“Come at me, bro.” Sans said, grinning almost from ear hole to ear hole. 

Ryou groaned but her own smile was stretched wide, “I can’t believe you just said that.”

“FRISK AND I CHALLENGE YOU BOTH TO A DUEL!” Papyrus said, striking a confident pose, which lead to the hundred or so snowballs to fall back into the pile beneath them. Frisk tugged on his cape and he turned. “OH! YES? WHAT IS IT, FRISK?”

She signed, ‘Snowball fight!’

“AHEM!” He turned back to Ryou and Sans, pointing at them with a proud smile. “MY APOLOGIES, WHAT THE GREAT PAPYRUS MEANT TO SAY IS, WE CHALLENGE BOTH OF YOU TO A SNOWBALL FIGHT!”

“What do we get if we win?” Sans asked, folding his arms.

Papyrus thought on it, “I WON’T NAG YOU ABOUT SLEEPING ON THE JOB FOR ONE MONTH!”

“Deal.” No hesitation.

Ryou stood up, mimicking the monster beside her, “And what does our opposing team want if they win?”

Papyrus thought on it, looking down at Frisk for a suggestion, but she shrugged at him and he shrugged back, “I’M…NOT SURE RIGHT NOW. BUT! WE…WILL THINK OF SOMETHING!”

Both Ryou and Sans exchanged a look before a grin spread over their faces and Sans spoke up, “Challenge accepted.”

The entire front yard was covered in snowballs after an hour. Both sides sat behind their walls panting tiredly, twenty minutes and they were all out of breath. Ryou looked at Sans pitifully, “Might’ve been a good idea NOT to go all out in the first ten minutes.”

Sans nodded, laughing through his exhaustion, “Yeah, you’re right.”

Ryou peaked over the wall before she ducked again, a snowball flying over her quickly, flakes from the icy ball sprinkled onto her hair and she shivered, smiling nervously at Sans, “They’re not playing around.”

Sans chuckled and nodded, “Guess we’ll have to step up our game.” He winked at her before using his magic to gather snow once more. It took only a minute, but before long Sans stood and let the snowballs fly freely. Ryou stood up at the wrong time and ultimately took one of Sans’s icy bullets to the back of her head, sending her head over heels over their cover and onto her back, sliding down before coming to a stop. Sans stopped, letting the snow fall around him as Ryou stood up.

“Sans! I’m on your team, bonehead!” She shouted at him.

“Sorry-“ He fell back as a snowball smacked him dead in the face and forced him to fall back. Ryou grinned a little, satisfied when he stood back up and glared at her, his grin wide, “It’s on now.”

Oh no. 

Papyrus and Frisk watched as Sans chased Ryou around with snowballs, laughing as he tossed them at her back. She was screaming but laughing, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d had this much fun. That was until Ryou slipped on a patch of ice. Sans grabbed her sleeve in time but wound up twisting and getting pulled with her into the snow. 

“Ow…” Ryou winced, looking up at Sans who mirrored her surprised look, and felt her face turn a scarlet red. “I-I guess you got me.”

He blinked at her, a little confused before he realized the position they were in and immediately pushed himself off her and stumbled back, “Heh, yeah…” He looked away awkwardly, holding out a hand. “Then again, you’re a pretty SLIPPERY runner.” He chuckled. 

She took his hand and let him hoist her to her feet. She wobbled a bit but smiled, “Cute.” She said with a grin before dusting the snow off her butt. “I dodge pretty well,” She shrugged. “But you’re lucky I’m not giving you the COLD SHOULDER after all that.”

He grinned and looked away, “Yeah, sorry. Could I ent-ICE you to forgive me?”

She scoffed, “Surely, I’m not that COLD.”

Sans looked her in the eyes and gripped his chest, “You’re MELTING my heart.”

Ryou and Sans were knocked back into the snow as Papyrus huffed in annoyance, “COULD YOU TWO PLEASE STOP THAT! FRISK AND I ARE GOING INSIDE. WHEN YOU TWO LEARN TO CONTROL YOUR PUNS YOU MAY JOIN US!” He stomped off, pulling Frisk out of the snow and walking inside. 

Sans sat up laughing, “That’s Papyrus for ya.”

Ryou dusted the snow from her hair, “Yeah, we should head inside soon. I may be half monster, but I’m still human and need temperature control.”

Sans looked down and winced, “And get you a bandage.”

Ryou looked down and her stomach lurched. Her left palm was cut, bleeding slowly due to the cold. She glanced at the ice and saw the slightly jagged piece of ice she’d cut it on, good thing it was just her hand and not something more important. 

When they got inside Ryou sighed happily at how warm it was. Sans helped her out of her sweater and placed it on the couch then had her sit, “Stay here, I’ll grab the first aid kit.” He said shuffling up to the bathroom. 

She was happy Frisk and Papyrus were busy in the kitchen, she needed a moment to breathe. She was so much like the brothers in the way she looked. Her eyes in particular; they were black voids instead of white like a human and her irises were a shimmering baby pink. Unlike the natural human hair colors, hers lacked pigment all together. Instead, her shoulder length hair was as white as freshly fallen snow and a bit fluffier than she liked to admit. She wore a black beanie to hide how unmanageable her hair was most days. Her skin was pale, most thought she was albino at first glance, and who knows? Maybe she would’ve been had she been a full blooded human. It was a silly childhood thought, but sometimes she dreamt of being human, accepted by the people around her, and her father…well, she dreamt mostly about the faceless man who disappeared before her birth. 

Sans returned, using a shortcut to the couch and sat beside her, startling her out of her thoughts. He pulled some bandages out and gauze, tenderly dabbing disinfectant over the cut before bandaging it and wrapping it up. When he was finished his hands lingered on hers for a moment. Was he blushing or was that a trick of the light?

“T-Thank you…” She gave him a warm smile. 

He shrugged and sat beside her, “Anytime.”

After a long silence between them, listening to the clanking of dishes and Papyrus chatting to Frisk, Ryou spoke, “I’ll do whatever it takes to protect you both this time,” She glanced at Sans. “Even if it kills me, I’ll do what it takes to save you from having to lose Papyrus again.”

He remained silent for a long moment, but he looked at her, eyes tired and knowing. When he was ready he spoke softly, “You’re heart’s in the right place, but he’s my brother.”

“Sans-“

“Let me tell you a story,” He said then grinned. “So get comfortable.” He waited for her to adjust herself before beginning. “My old man was a pretty cool guy, told jokes, annoyed Paps, and took care of us above all. One day he’s here, the next a human falls into the underground. The second to fall. They come through, they’re terrified, they see our dad and poof, we’re alone. Papyrus was just a baby bones, and I wasn’t much older myself. We were all alone in the world.” His voice seemed to trail off before he shook his head and continued, “Growing up, being a child and caring for your little brother isn’t easy. I began working, I did every odd job in town, getting up and taking Papyrus with me. We struggled until he was old enough to understand why we were living the way we did, sleeping in the staff room at the inn because we couldn’t afford a room. 

He grew into a strong kid and I did whatever possible to make sure he was taken care of, even if I was burnt out and exhausted, if I was running on empty and needed sleep, Papyrus came first. I put him through school and one day I discovered this book on quantum physics in the garbage room. I was amazed and began to learn all I could, every little thing that I could cram in between jobs and sleep. I realized I was a quick learner,” He shrugged. “But that wasn’t all. I was able to solve advanced math problems, even ones as complicated as taking up an entire wall for one problem. I was a delivery guy for Grillby’s at the time and was on my way to bring a damn good looking burger to the Royal Lab. I’m stunned the moment I walk in, this guy is pacing, mumbling to himself as he looks over this massive equation he’s got down on the whiteboard. Let me tell ya, this was impressive.” He chuckled to himself, making Ryou smile. 

“I’ve never heard this story.” Ryou admitted sheepishly. 

He casually shrugged at her, “I can assume why. Just don’t repeat this to Papyrus, it’s best he doesn’t know.”

“My lips are sealed.” She giggled, looking over at the kitchen before returning her gaze to Sans.  
His eyes drifted to her lips for a moment before he continued, his voice softer and lower, “So, this guy tells me he’s been working on some project and the answer is just on the tip of his tongue. I glanced at the whiteboard before asking him if it was the formula he’d written out. Well, the ball is dropped when he tells me he’s supposed to be smarter because he’s the fucking royal scientist and, I’m quoting him on this, “Have no idea what in the actual fuck could be wrong with this stupid formula.”. Well, being the cocky kid I was, I strolled over to it and looked it over. Took me little more than ten minutes to find the problem; a missing variable. He allowed me to change it and suddenly the entire thing made sense and he could only stare at me. 

Well, after discussing my interest in quantum physics, of which this particular formula was based on, he happily introduces himself as W.D. Gaster and offered to hire me as an assistant. When I heard the kind of money I would be making and the kind of work I’d be doing I quit my job at Grillbys and started right away without a second thought. He was a real jokester too, taught me a lot of my material. I had no idea at first, but we were in the process of creating a time machine. He warned me of the dangers but I was so excited that he just followed my lead. Things were great, I had enough money to buy a house and give Papyrus everything he could ever want. He was so proud of me.” His smile faded and a pained expression took its place. “Once the machine was finished I begged him to let me test it first. I wanted nothing more than to see what was on the other side, but he refused and told me he would be testing it. Once he got inside the machine he gave me a thumbs up…” Sans put a hand to his head. “I didn’t know was about to happen, I couldn’t prepare myself for it but with a flash of light the lab exploded. I managed to get out alive but I never saw him again.”

Ryou felt her stomach turn awkwardly, “How awful.”

Sans shook his head, “The awful part was Gaster had become a huge part of mine and Papyrus’s lives, like a second father. And when I told Papyrus what happened…he had no idea who Gaster was. Nobody did. Just like that, Gaster was erased from everyone’s memory but my own. I thought I was going crazy, but deep down I knew the truth. Something horrible happened to him.” Sans took a shaky breath. “After a few drunken years I sobered up and opened my own hot dog stand and became a sentry for the royal guard, though it was more Papyrus’s thing.” Sans sighed and looked at Ryou fully. “Moral of the story is: Papyrus is all I have. I’ve protected him this far, a little further wouldn’t kill me.”

She knew he was right, but Papyrus and Sans were her family, in her timeline or not, and she would do whatever she had to make sure they lived through what she knew was coming. She just had to prepare them the same way she’d been told. She was willing to doe for them, and nothing could ever change that. “Then I guess we’re partners in this.” She grinned at him. 

He shrugged, grinning back, “I guess so.”


	4. Second Chances

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a little...short, but I was pressed for time lol

Undyne and Alphys. Ryou knew it was only a matter of time before she met them and honestly missed having her buff fishy friend to watch anime with to unwind. In her timeline, Alphys and Undyne were her best friends and shared almost everything with her. Heck, Undyne was the one who taught her how to fight and Alphys introcuced her to the wonders of anime and manga. Thought Mew Mew Kissy Cutie wasn’t exactly Ryou’s particular “bread and butter” but she could sit and debate it with her lizard friend for hours. If she went and introduced herself, she might be able to make friends with them again, though as an older and smarter individual. Or…so she hoped. 

“GOOD MORNING, RYOU!” Papyrus exclaimed as she made her way down the stairs. “DID YOU SLEEP WELL?”

Ryou smiled as she turned to head to the front door, “I’m great, I’m heading out to see Undyne.”

Papyrus clasped his hands together, “INDEED! WOULD YOU LIKE BREAKFAST BEFORE YOU GO?”

Ryou thought on it and gave in with a smile, “Sure, Papyrus. What did you make?”

“I MADE SPAGHETTI!”

Ryou bit her lip, she should’ve seen that coming, “Just a little, I have a long walk to Waterfall.”

He placed a plate of spaghetti before her, it wasn’t quite as bad as she remembered, smelled edible, and the meat was cooked thoroughly, “It looks pretty good.” She said as she stuck a fork in the noodles and began eating. The taste was…indescribable, but not terrible. She finished eating after a few minutes and immediately got up and headed for the door. “Thanks Paps! I’ll be back later!”

 

Sans woke up groggily on the floor in Papyrus’s room, guess he’d fallen out of bed again. He sat up and rubbed his eye sockets as he yawned. He stretched before getting to his feet and shuffling to his room and knocking on the door, “Hey, it’s just me, I need some clothes.” He mumbled as he turned the handle and entered. He stared into the empty room and rubbed his skull, she must’ve gotten a head start on the day. After changing he headed lazily down the stairs and entered the kitchen to see Papyrus looking over a puzzle book with a plate of spaghetti in front of him. 

“Mornin’ bro.” He looked around, realizing Papyrus was alone. “Kid not with ya?”

Papyrus looked up from his book with a smile, “GOOD MORNING, BROTHER! NO, RYOU LEFT THE HOUSE TEN MINUTES AGO AND HEADED TO WATERFALL TO SEE UNDYNE.”

Something stirred in him, it was almost like fear, “Think she’ll be okay?”

“UNDYNE MIGHT THINK SHE’S A HUMAN AT FIRST, BUT I’M SURE RYOU WILL BE FINE.”

Something still didn’t feel right, “I’m gunna go after her and make sure she gets there okay.” He muttered before turned to head for the door. 

“THAT’S VERY NOBLE OF YOU, BROTHER! DO BE CAREFUL!” Papyrus said with a wide smile. 

Sans chuckled and waved Papyrus off, “Will do, bro.”

 

Ryou walked through waterfall, the glowing crystals and rushing waterfalls filled her with delight. It was, and apparently still was, her favorite place in the underground. There were many hidden rooms and echo flowers scattered throughout the area that made the place that much more beautiful. It wasn’t long until she got to Undyne’s house and luckily caught both Undyne and Alphys on their way inside the house. 

“Hey guys!” Ryou rang out, forgetting for a moment that these two had no idea who she was. 

Undyne turned and her expression turned from surprise to anger, to a snear, “Alphys, stay behind me, looks like I just found a human!”

Alphys adjusted her glasses before saying, “U-Undyne, that’s not a-“

“Hey! Human! Nice of you to save me the trouble of hunting you down! I’ll be taking your soul now!” Undyne yelled, using her magic to conjure a spear into her hand. She aimed it at Ryou.

“Listen, I need to talk to you both about something important, it’s kinda urgent so if you could put the…spear down…” Ryou said nervously, holding up her hands in surrender. 

“I’ve gotta give you props for not running away in the face of danger, punk. At least your death will be for the good of all monster kind!” 

Ryou blinked and the world seemed to move slowly. Undyne charged towards her, but got less than two feet before she tripped over a boney foot and landed face first into the dirt. Sans stood there looking down at her with a cheeky grin, “Sorry about that Undyne, didn’t see ya there.” He chuckled, shoving his hands in his pockets. “I know you said you wanted to take a trip somewhere soon, but this wasn’t what I’d imagined.”

Undyne turned and glared at Sans, “You idiot, there’s a human standing there and you’re just standing there cracking jokes?!”

Sans shrugged, “I don’t see a human.”

Undyne looked at Ryou and then looked at Sans like he just offended her, “You seriously don’t see that human standing in that blue sweater?”

“You mean that monster girl? Yeah, that’s Ryou, she’s stayin with me for a while. Girl’s from Hotland, lived with some cousins of mine.”

Undyne looked at Alphys then back to Sans, “You don’t have any cousins, you and your brother are the only skeletons in the underground, stupid.”

“I-I think Sans is right t-though! L-Look at her eyes!” Alphys said nervously, watching as Undyne turned to look at Ryou more closely. 

“Oh yeah, I’ve never seen a monster like this before though.” Undyne let her spear dissipate now that the issue was cleared. 

Ryou walked up to her and smiled awkwardly, “I’ve been confused for a monster by humans and a human by monsters, it’s a little weird to say but you’re both not wrong. I am a monster, but I am also a human.”

Alphys gasped and adjusted her glasses, “I c-can’t believe it! She’s a half-breed.”

“So…she’s a monster but also a human?” Undyne asked confused. 

“Your parents were a human and a m-monster?” Alphys asked curiously. 

Undyne sighed, “Let’s get inside and talk, I’m hungry and this feels like it’s going to take a while to explain.”

 

Once everyone was seated at Undyne’s dining table and everyone got a drink the attention was directed at Ryou, “Okay, punk, what’s the deal with you?”

Ryou sighed and rubbed her neck, “I should start at the beginning. Just to clear up any confusion, I want to clarify that I’m not exactly from here.”

“She’s from the future, or to be more precise, another timeline.” Sans said leaning his head on his hand. 

“WHAT?!” Undyne shouted.

Alphys stood up suddenly, “A-Are you telling me that time travel is possible?!”

Ryou held up her hands, “I’ll get to that.”

Alphys awkwardly smiled and sat back down, nervously fidgeting, “S-Sorry, please continue.”

“It’s okay.” Ryou reassured her before she continued. “I was born on the surface in a house hidden in the woods. It was just my mother and myself. I never knew my dad and apparently my mother couldn’t remember him, no matter how hard she tried. Unfortunately, humans expressed their anger with my existence violently, burning down our house with my mother still inside before beating me and tossing me into the mountain.”

Sans looked angry but stayed silent, Undyne looked a little ashamed, and Alphys listened intently. Ryou continued, “I grew up living happily with everyone; Toriel, Sans, and Papyrus took care of me until I was old enough to stand on my own. After a while Sans and I got really close and…sorta got involved-“

“Wait, you and this lazy idiot?” Undyne interrupted, her expression completely shocked. 

“I-I ship it!” Alphys said with a cheerful smile, which caught her a weird look from Undyne. “W-What? Sans deserves to b-be happy too.”

Ryou cleared her throat, her cheeks pink as she continued, “Well, things didn’t remain peaceful for long. We’re not sure how, but Chara, the first human to fall, was resurrected as a vengeful spirit. They oozed evil and raw determination, something that we weren’t prepared for. Flowey and Chara, little by little, began killing monsters. It was subtle at first, a few monsters disappeared but nobody really batted an eye until…” She paused, trying to compose herself as she realized tears were running down her face. “Papyrus was…Flowey he…he wrapped his vines around and through his bones, told us that we were stupid and would die soon. Sans, desperate to save his brother, attacked flowey but…” She clenched her fists. “Flowey moved Papyrus’s soul in the line of fire and before our eyes, he was…” She put a hand to her mouth, the buried pain returning. 

Sans got up and pulled her to him, hugging her tightly. He didn’t know what to say but could see it resonating in her soul, this was the truth of her pain. He looked at Undyne who looked completely horrified as Alphys sniffled in the corner. Ryou calmed herself and continued hoarsely, “After that, Sans wasn’t the same. He became spiteful and angry, sometimes blamed me for not stopping him, sometimes blaming himself and drinking away the pain. It didn’t matter, nothing mattered at that point. It was only a matter of time before everything would be destroyed. 

That’s when Sans hatched a plan to fix the time machine. It took some time, we fought a lot, we cried a lot, but in the end we finished it. We were going to test it by taking survivors with us, but…” She shook her head, holding back tears. “The underground was silent…blood and dust was everywhere. Everything I’d grown up with, everyone I’d befriended…everything was gone. Sans went after the two in a fit of rage. Well…we found them, and narrowly escaped with our lives by taking one of his shortcuts back to Snowdin. Didn’t matter though, he’d been wounded and was slowly bleeding out into the snow around us. He used the last of his energy to send me back here before…” She shook her head, her shoulders were shaking as tears overflowed. She refused to hide them. “I came here to warn everyone, warn them about the possibility of an attack lead on by Flowey and a newly resurrected Chara.”

“If that’s true then wouldn’t t-they come through the ruins? C-Chara’s body is buried at the far end.” Alphys was just as on edge as everyone around the table, shifting in her seat uncomfortably. 

Sans had begun rubbing Ryou’s back to comfort her, “You’ve been through a lot, I think it’s best we continue this later.” He didn’t flinch when she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. 

Undyne nodded in agreement, “Yeah, I’ll inform Asgore. If you’re right, Alphys, we’ll have to evacuate the Ruins and seal the door.” She then sighed. Trying to change the subject she leaned her head on her hand and spoke calmly, “Man, being born on the surface must’ve been interesting.”

Ryou sniffled and smiled, “Yeah, at times it was. My mother and I used to sit and talk about the lake at the base of the mountain beside the village. It’s a sight to see.” She wiped away the tears from her face before continuing. “Before I was thrown down here, I wasn’t well liked by a lot of humans, but humans aren’t all bad; sure you have your crazies and extremists, but there are those genuinely nice humans out there. A few times I was helped by a wonderful couple when I got lost on my way home from school. I always got home right before it got too dark to see…” She trailed off. 

Sans’s cheekbones were a light blue as he asked, “When the barrier is broken, I want to see the night sky for myself. Astrology is something I love, you know. I know I’ll be pretty starstruck.” He chuckled with a wink, trying to lighten the atmosphere with a pun.  
“The night sky is something I miss the most.” Ryou admitted with a shy smile. “Some nights, when it was clear enough, shooting stars would shower the dark sky over Mt. Ebott. My mother and I would watch them until we got too tired to stay awake. Maybe when the issue at hand is fixed and the barrier is broken, I’ll take you to one of my favorite places to stargaze.”

Alphys sighed happily, “I hope we c-can all go free someday.”

Undyne grinned, “We will, we just need a bad human to fall and we’ll have all we need!”

“I think I’ve thought about death enough for one lifetime.” Ryou admitted, absently touching Papyrus’s scarf. 

“So…is that theirs? Sans’s jacket and Papyrus’s scarf?” Undyne asked curiously. 

“Yeah, it’s all I have left of them.” She forced back the tears threatening to show themselves once more and let out a sigh. “Well, that’s my story.”

Alphys adjusted her glasses before saying, “Why don’t we all h-have an anime night sometime? I think if we hang out m-more we could all be good friends.” She looked away nervously. “If you w-want to, that is…” 

Ryou’s face lit up, “I’d love to, Alphys, thank you.”

“Don’t forget about me!” Undyne said loudly with a grin. 

“Sans?” Alphys asked, extending the invitation. 

He glanced at Ryou’s excited face and shrugged, “Sure, sound’s fun.”

Undyne checked her watch then sighed, “Well guys, I have to get ready, Papyrus and I have a cooking lesson in twenty minutes and Alphys is going to show us how to make ramen. You guys are welcome to stay but I gotta warn ya-“

“You always bring the house down.” Ryou giggled. 

“Heck yeah I do!”

“And that’s why Undyne is the only m-monster whose house has been rebuilt m-more than fifteen times.” Alphys laughed. 

Undyne scoffed, “More like twenty.” She then gasped. “You think I’ll get a prize for fifty?”

“Undyne, please don’t…” Alphys begged. 

“Nah, I’ll get out of your hair, wouldn’t want to distract Papyrus with my hilarious puns and jokes while he’s learning.” Sans said yawning. “Wanna watch something at home or you gunna stay here?”

“I’ll head out too, I need to…I need to figure out my living situation.” She admitted sheepishly. “It wouldn’t be right for me to mooch off you guys.”

Sans ruffled her hair, “Says the girl cookin breakfast and cleaning my room when I’m not lookin. It’s fine, I can stay in Paps room for a little while longer or just sleep on the couch.”

“N-No, I’ll take the couch, it’s your bedroom Sans.”

“And I’m letting you use it.”

“And I’m saying I don’t want you to have to give it up for my sake.”

Sans chuckled, “Well, why don’t we just rectify the situation and both sleep in my room?” His sockets widened. “W-With me…on the floor while you take the bed.”

Ryou grinned at him, “Thanks for clarifying, bone boy, but I’ll be fine on the couch.” 

He huffed, “You’re not sleeping on the damn couch.”

Undyne and Alphys silently crept out of the room, letting the two battle over who slept where. In the end, Ryou agreed to sleep in the same room, but only if he agreed to let her sleep on the floor.

“Glad you saw it my way.” Ryou said triumphantly as they walked home through Waterfall. 

“Yeah, yeah, you just stole my idea and twisted it. Not very original.” He said jokingly as he shoved his hands into his pockets. “Clever.”  
She rolled her eyes, “Hardly, you were the clever one between the two of us.” Her happy expression fell a bit.  
Sans looked down between them and without a word took her hand in his. Her eyes widened and looked at their joined hands before looking at Sans’s face, “Sans?”

“Sorry, I’ll let go if you want me to.” He went to pull his hand away but she tightened her hand around his. 

“N-No, it’s fine I just didn’t expect it.” She admitted shyly, a tiny smile appearing on her face. 

Their walk was lengthy, but when they got back to town, Papyrus was on his way to Undynes and passed them, “HELLO BROTHER! RYOU! I SEE YOU TWO HAVE BECOME GOOD FRIENDS! IT MAKES ME VERY HAPPY TO SEE YOU TWO GETTING ALONG!” He smiled, obviously pleased with this. “I’LL BE BACK LATE, BUT I LEFT SPAGHETTI IN THE FRIDGE FOR YOU!” With that, Papyrus was on his way. 

“See ya, bro.” Sans said with a lazy wave.

They walked into the warmth of the house and Ryou sighed tiredly, “Well, I’m beat.”

“Hey, before we get settled and watch some TV, I want to tell you something.” He faced her, his face serious. “You went through hell because of me…we may not be the same exact Sans, but we are still the same. He made mistakes, those mistakes lead you here to me. I guess you can think of this as a second chance. I’m not saying for you to jump my bones or make holding my hand a regular thing, but just know that even though you’re new here, I care about ya. Monsters get attached easily to people, which makes losing them that much more painful…” He sighed and rubbed the back of his head nervously. “What I’m trying to say is: If you need him, I’ll step in and be that for you.”

Ryou looked shocked, “Sans, you don’t need to do that. Besides, I like you the way you are. You’re a lot funnier and relaxed than the Sans from my timeline was…” She rubbed her arm, a little ashamed. “I do miss him, but not for the reasons you might think. I don’t think he ever took…us…seriously. I miss him because he was a figure that helped me grow into the woman I am now. Besides, he wouldn’t let me kiss him or show affection publicly. I think he was ashamed of himself and felt underserving of affection. In my timeline, he was being haunted by what he’d done to Frisk…but I don’t want to talk about that. I think he thought I secretly hated him for it.”

He shifted in place for a moment, processing what she’d said, “Then I guess you’re wanting a completely new slate?”

She shrugged, her cheeks reddening, “I guess I can’t deny that I feel something for you, even if it’s small at the moment. I’m still trying to figure out those feelings, but for now, I know that I trust you and I like your company.”

Sans chuckled awkwardly, “Guess I can’t complain. You’re not exactly too bad to be around yourself.”

She gasped, but she was giggling through her feigned shock, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

He just grinned and walked past her, “Come on, pick a movie so I can take a nap.”

She smiled to herself, her aching heart a little lighter. If this was a second chance at life, she was going to live it for all she could. She had the chance to be with Sans from scratch, and she was hopeful for this new life, even if the old one would always hold an important place in her heart. She turned to the TV and sat on the couch.

Ppppllsshhhhhh!!

Ryou’s face turned bright red as the sound died away and she moved to see he’d set a whoopie cushion under her bottom. He just winked at her and she laughed, “You jerk!”

He shrugged, grinning wide at her, “Still funny.”

She nodded in agreement, still giggling she said, “Never said it wasn’t, you big goof.”


	5. Alone With Sans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Apparently this chapter was a filler chapter in the original and since I was too busy to think up something more in depth, I guess this is what you get lol

Two days later Papyrus was called for another long night with Undyne to train and more than likely watch anime, though Sans was very precise in what Papyrus should be watching, they usually ignored his over bearing requests. Not surprising, especially when Alphys was involved; she insisted on anime with vicious fight scenes and cute magical girls…and kissing. Those anime’s made Ryou uncomfortable, but she knew better than to ask Alphys to change it. That dinosaur was always so passionate about her anime.

She decided tonight would be a good night to cook, especially since Papyrus would be home late. She had the chance to make something more impressive than strawberry pancakes and had the chance to really ‘wow’ Sans, at least that was what she was hoping for. She stirred the sauce gently, her mind drifting to the past again. She remembered how fun cooking used to be when everyone was there, but she wouldn’t have that luxury for a while. Maybe during a holiday they could get everyone together?

Sans peaked into the kitchen, obviously up after his long nap through two movies, “Hey, smells pretty good in here. Whatcha makin’?” He asked groggily, letting out a yawn as he entered the kitchen. 

“Nothing special,” She said, feeling his eyes on her back as she continued to stir the sauce. She felt a shiver up her spine as she turned to see him standing behind her, looking over her shoulder at her cooking. The slight contact made goosebumps break out on her arms and she felt her cheeks redden. “J-Just some pasta…”

He glanced at her before chuckling, “What’s up? You’re face is red.”

She gulped and continued stirring, “You’re just standing really close, and the heat of the stove is making my skin flush.”

He took a step to the side and leaned against the counter as he watched her, “Undyne texted me saying Papyrus wouldn’t be home tonight, I guess they were having so much fun that he wound up falling asleep halfway through an anime and just put him in the bedroom for the night. Not a big deal though, since you’ve got dinner goin.” His eyes scanned her face, looking for any hint of discomfort before continuing. “Just thought I’d let you know.”

She gave him a sly grin, “Why does it look like you have something devious in mind, Sans?”

He looked away, his smile turning nervous, “Ah, no…nothing like that. Just thought we could hang out tonight, play some games or whatever it is people usually do when their alone.” Ryou gave him a look but he ignored it. “Papyrus keeps all his board games under his bed, I can look through them while you finish this?”

“Sure, this is almost done anyway.” She gave him a warm smile. 

He nodded and headed upstairs. She guessed he was feeling a little more energized today since he didn’t just teleport; what could’ve put him in such a good mood? She finished the sauce and mixed the noodles in, gentle to not spill it all over herself. She thought it a little silly, but she was feeling pretty good herself. Was it the cooking? They do say monster food is good for the soul, maybe the same could be said about preparing it? It DID look pretty appetizing, after all. 

When she ducked into the livingroom to call to Sans she found him already setting up a game on the floor with several game boxes behind him. She instantly recognized the game he was setting up and said gleefully, “Twister! Oh, I used to love this game!”

He looked surprised, “You play it often?”

“No, it went missing during my eighteenth birthday party. Was really weird too, Sans said he didn’t see it as a big deal. Now that I’m thinking about it, I think it made him uncomfortable seeing me play it or playing with me. He always lost.” She snickered. 

Sans chuckled, “Well, I’m willing to play, as long as you don’t mind the awkward positioning this game can put you in.” He looked at her nervously before saying quietly. “Calling him Sans is getting confusing, could we call him something else so people don’t get confused?”

She bit her lip, trying not to laugh but managed to say, “He didn’t go by Sans in our timeline, I just call him that because…well…the name sounded silly. He just up and changed it one day after I’d arrived in the underground.”

“So…what did he call himself?”

Ryou shifted a bit then sighed, “Nova.”

Sans stared at her, “Nova..? Like…as in a super nova?”

Ryou nodded slowly, “Yup.”

“Well now he just sounds like a fucking nerd.” Sans snickered. 

She shrugged, “He was, honestly.”

“I shouldn’t laugh, respect for the fallen and all…” He chuckled, trying to compose himself. “But jeez, that’s terrible.” He finished setting up the mat and took a step back, grinning. “You wanna play before we eat? Wouldn’t be much fun to waste a plate of spaghetti if you stretch your stomach too much and get sick.”

“Good point, yeah, let’s play a round before dinner.” She stretched her arms and legs before readying herself. One thing that definitely defined her as a monster: she was very flexible. Her mother couldn’t bend her body at weird angles or even so much as do a perfect split, guess she got that from her father. 

Sans waited for her to get ready before starting, spinning the wheel and watching as it slowed down and landed on…

“left hand red.”

Ryou placed her left hand on the closest red circle before giving Sans a grin, “You’re turn.”

He raised a boney brow, “But don’t I have to spin it?”

“Just use your magic.”

“Right…” He got up and used his magic to spin the wheel. “Right foot blue.”

This worked for all of ten minutes, twisting over one another until they were placed in a very awkward position with Sans bent backwards, his leg forced between hers as she was forced to bend over him, their faces level as she attempted to reach the next yellow dot. 

“This is so precarious.” Sans muttered to himself, trying all he could not to collapse. 

She was blushing furiously as she managed her hand on the dot, “My arms hurt so bad…”

“No shame in losing.” Sans laughed, but it sounded more winded than anything. 

She looked up so her face was right in his, their eyes locking, “You want to talk about shame? You should see the blush on your face.” She giggled. 

That did it, his arms gave out and they both went toppling to the ground with a thud. He knew now why this Nova guy couldn’t get through a game with her. She scrambled to get off him before saying, “See? Undefeated.”

“That was dirty.” He huffed at her. 

“Really? I don’t see a rule in the game that says you can’t flirt with your opponent.” She shrugged, a wide grin on her face. 

“Okay miss ‘shameful’, you win.” He sighed but gave her a warning look, his grin wide. “But don’t count your victories yet, there’s still a lot of games to play. And I’m gunna make sure you don’t win a single one.”

“We’ll just have to see, won’t we?”

 

There were many games they played, and Sans had made good on his word, but didn’t account for the fact she had several games memorized. After the long challenge they both gave up and started on a word search to pass the time. 

“Ocean.” Sans mumbled, pointing to the word for her to circle. “Have you seen the ocean?”

She shook her head, “Once…but I couldn’t enjoy it like most people.”

“Why’s that?”

“I don’t know how to swim.” She admitted shyly. 

That surprised him, “And you never learned in your time here?”

“I tried in the past but I almost drowned. After that nobody took me again.” She said, circling another word and crossing it off the list. 

“Well, we can all go sometime. I’m sure you’d have fun.” 

She shook her head sadly, “I’d only slow you guys down from having fun.”

“Nah, I’ll gladly teach ya. Besides, who do you think taught Papyrus how to swim?” He chuckled with a wink. 

She wanted to think on it but she decided this might be a good opportunity for her, “I guess, sure.” Sans looked pleased and she could only smile at him. “Wanna watch a movie?”

“Thought you’d never ask.” He said dramatically. “I’ll go get some drinks, you pick out a movie from that shelf.” Sans said pointing to the small shelf beside the TV.

As he exited she scooted herself before the cabinet and looked through the shelves for something that sounded good. After a long moment of sifting through movies she didn’t care for she noticed in the far corner was an unmarked tape. She pulled it out and looked at it curiously, “I’ve never seen this one before.” She pushed it into the VCR and sat back. 

The screen lit up and Ryou’s eyes widened, It was a home movie, but not just any home movie.

“Happy birthday Papyrus!” The person holding the camera said as the video honed in on an infant Papyrus, wiggling happily as he sat on a familiar quilt. Pattering feet caught the cameraman’s attention and a very young Sans scurried up and hugged Papyrus lovingly. 

“Happy birthday, baby bro!” Sans said a little too loudly, startling Papyrus a bit. A moment later Papyrus was wailing as Sans looked past the camera for help. The camera was set down, angled down a bit so that their face was cropped out of the video as they took the infant in their arms and rocked him gently. Sans looked up at this individual with a happy smile then looked to his wailing little brother. “Don’t cry, Paps! I’ll tell you a joke to cheer you up!”

Ryou felt tears running down her face, these two kids…that other being in the shot. She watched closely as little Sans cleared his ‘throat’ and began, “Why didn’t the skeleton cross the road?” Sans smiled wider as baby Papyrus calmed, looking at Sans in wonder as if waiting for the punchline. “Because he didn’t have any guts!”

Papyrus’s face lit up and he began giggling, grabbing at Sans playfully before his older brother scooped him up and hugged him gently. The other being in the video was male, Ryou could tell by the deepness of his voice, “Telling jokes, just like your mom. She’d be so proud.”

Sans looked a little sad but kept a smile, “You think so?”

“I know so.” 

Sans smiled down at Papyrus, obviously thinking about his mother as he said softly, “Don’t worry, Paps, I’ll always protect you.”

Papyrus giggled happily…and then the screen shut off and the room went silent. 

Ryou turned her head to see Sans standing a few feet away, a mug of what smelled like coffee in his hand and a haunted expression glued to his face, “That was taken a week before our father’s accident…” He said softly as he ejected the tape and tucked it under his arm. “Let’s…find a different movie to watch.”

She watched him walk upstairs and head into his room, obviously hiding the tape somewhere inside before returning and awkwardly rubbing his skull, “I uh…apologize for that. I thought I hid that tape years ago.”

She got up and hugged him, startling him a bit, “You don’t have to apologize. I know how old memories can still sting after many years. Come on, let’s watch this shitty comedy movie and get our minds on something more positive.” She pulled back and took his hand, leading him to the couch before sitting him down and positioning herself right next to him. 

Halfway through the movie she felt his eyes on her and she glanced at him, only to see him giving her a goofy smile. She giggled, “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

He suddenly grabbed her and pulled her into a hug, “Nothin, just thought I’d return that hug.”

She laughed, hugging him back, “You feeling a bit better now?”

“Eh, more or less.” He said ruffling her hair. “Your hair is such a weird fluffy white, it’s like a cloud.”

She blushed, “Well yeah, it’s my hair, you dork.”

“What would I look like with hair?” Sans wondered aloud. 

Ryou snorted, holding her hand to her mouth as the image with Sans with a full head of hair appeared in her mind. She just shook her head, trying to contain her laughter as Sans touched his head and shrugged. 

“You’re a skeleton, Sans, you don’t need hair.” She laughed.

Sans touched her hair once more, letting the snow-white strands flow through his fingers. He realized the gesture was making her relax and moved her so she was leaning against him with her legs lying over his, her butt against the couch, and her head against him as he played with her hair more. She seemed a little uneasy about the position, her heart rate spiking a bit at how close they were, but she relaxed after a minute.

“Sans?”

“Hmm?” He mumbled back. 

“Is this okay? Is it…okay for me to be this close to you?” Her voice was quiet and unsure, she was hiding her eyes behind her bangs but he could see the flush on her face. 

He pat her on the head to reassure her, “Yeah, it’s just fine. Don’t worry about it.”

They watched the movie again, Sans was trying to make her comfortable around him, trying not to overstep any boundaries or make himself uncomfortable. Another movie just started when Ryou spoke up again, “Does it bother you that I’m here in your timeline, Sans?”

“Why would it?”

“I think about it, how I would feel if I were in your shoes.” 

He flicked her forehead, causing her to squeak in surprise and stare at him in surprise, “We’ve both seen and been through things that shouldn’t have happened, but I see you in my shoes, helpless, terrified, and grieving, the last thing I want to do is make you feel unwelcome here since Nova literally dusted himself getting you here.” He saw her wince and softened his tone. “I get that you’re feeling vulnerable and unsure, but I like ya, you’re fun to have around, you make puns and get along with everyone you meet. I can’t think of a reason not to like having you here.”

She began turning pink and she looked away from him, “Thanks…I needed that.”

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and hugged her, grinning down at her, “Now that…that’s been cleared up, I want to know some things about you, apart from the things I’ve already learned.” He released her and leaned back against the couch.

“Um…like what?”

He thought a moment, “Well…what’s your favorite color?”

“Blue, cyan to be exact.” 

Sans’s cheeks dusted a light blue and he chuckled, “Uh…well, I don’t really have much of a preference, but I’d have to say orange.”

“Papyrus?”

“Papyrus.” Sans chuckled before asking. “What’s your favorite food?”

Ryou blushed and said softly, “Nova used to make muffins…really yummy muffins. They were my favorite.”

“He could cook?” Sans looked genuinely surprised, which made Ryou laugh. “What? He’s a Sans, I’m surprised he exerted the energy to cook at all.”

“He’s actually the one who taught me how to cook.”

Sans deadpanned, “…Bullshit.”

“True story.” She shrugged a bit with a wide smile. 

“I can cook, I just…don’t normally like to.” He admitted, his eyes distant. 

Ryou flicked him, smiling knowingly, “Guess you’ll have to cook for me one day.”

He rubbed his head, grinning back, “I guess it’s only fair.”

They sat together in silence until Ryou spoke up again, “I sometimes wonder what its like to be human. Fully human. I like to think things might’ve turned out different, but then things would’ve happened without me…and I wouldn’t have ever met you.”

“Eh, it’s just me.” 

She pouted at him, “You’re so much more than that, Sans.”

He yawned loudly and shrugged lazily at her, “Meh, I’m a bag of bones held together by magic, not much else to-“

She pushed him back on the couch, leaning over him and looking deep into his eyes, “Hey, if I can’t be moody, neither can you. You’re a lot more than puns, Sans the Skeleton, and I won’t move until you accept that.”

His face began turning a bright blue, “That’s a lot to accept.”

She huffed and just laid on him, leaning her chin on his sternum, “Stubborn butt.”

He snickered, “Except I kinda lack one of those.”

She poked his ribs and felt him squirm, “Smartass.”

“Saying that doesn’t change the fact I don’t have one.” She glared at him and tickled his ribs through his shirt, making him yelp and burst into fits of laughter, “Okay I get it! I get it!”

She stopped and sighed, rolling off him carefully to the empty spot between him and the back of the couch, “Good.”

They avoided looking at one another for a long moment before Sans sighed and put an arm over his eyes, “So, you’ve got a pink soul, huh?”

“That’s random.” Ryou giggled softly, absently placing her hand on her chest. “Yeah, pink for…who knows. I’ve never met a monster or human with a pink soul like mine, so I have no idea what it means.”

Sans turned to face her, leaning on his hand, “I guess we’ll figure it out someday.”

She rolled her eyes with a smile, “Its been this long, I guess its not meant to be, and to be honest, I’m okay with that. What does my soul say about me? It says I’m a big mystery.”

“I think it’s something attaining to you, something that makes you unique. And you’re pretty mysterious, you arrived from another timeline and took us all by surprise. You’re pretty cute too.” He teased, poking her nose. 

She stuck her tongue out at him, “I’m not cute, I’m god damn adorable.”

“Your words, not mine. And your face is turning red again.”

“W-Well it’s because I’m pressed between you and the couch and you’re over here calling me cute and trying to make me feel better, so excuse me if my face get’s a little red.” She huffed. 

“Would you have preferred it if I called you beautiful?”

She pushed him off the couch, her face bright crimson, “S-Stop talking like that!”

He sat up laughing, rubbing his head, “I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist malteasing you.”

She glared at him, “I don’t find you’re teasing very amoosing.”

“Hey, I’m a koalafied pun master, it’s in my nature.” He snickered, climbing back onto the couch beside her. 

“Okay, “pun master”, let’s just finish this movie.” She mumbled. But the sparkle in his eye had her giggling softly to herself. She wasn’t sure how, but she was feeling much lighter.


	6. Red

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Have some fan-service because this literally happened in the original and I was laughing at it too much to cut it out so my apologies. I also have the flu, so I'll be a little slow and I'll fix errors and whatnot at a later time. For now I have a hot date with some cough medicine and my bed.   
> Enjoy lol

Sans stirred as he heard the front door open and the familiar clanking of Papyrus’s battle body as he entered the house, closing the door behind himself and letting out a deep sigh. Sans opened his eyes and decided he should greet his brother, then realized he was still on the couch with Ryou wrapped around him in a deep sleep. Oh boy…

“SANS?”

Sans flinched a little at the closeness of his brother’s voice and turned his head to see Papyrus staring down at him disapprovingly, “Well, this is awkward.” Sans chuckled nervously. 

“I WOULD HAVE TO AGREE.” Papyrus let out a deep sigh.

“How was it at Undyne’s? Have fun?” He asked as he attempted change the subject and free himself from Ryou’s almost iron grip around his torso. 

“IT WAS WONDERFUL! THOUGH, AFTER TRAINING I WAS VERY TIRED AND FELL ASLEEP HALFWAY THROUGH THE ANIME.” Papyrus admitted, obviously a bit embarrassed. “BUT UNDYNE WAS VERY IMPRESSED WITH OUR LESSON! SHE SAY’S I’M SHOWING GREAT PROMISE!”

“That’s great bro, I’m proud of ya.” Sans began trying to wiggle free once more. After a bit of struggling Sans snapped his fingers and teleported himself beside Papyrus, unfortunately forcing him to leave behind his hoodie. Ryou pulled closer to it, nuzzling her face into the fabric as she slept. He glanced at Papyrus who just smiled. 

“SHE’S A DEEP SLEEPER!” Papyrus turned and placed his hands on his hip-bones. “WE HAVE SENTRY DUTY TODAY, SANS! GO GET READY.”

Sans could feel the warmth in his cheekbones as he walked up to his room to change and pull out his unused grey sweater. When he was ready he took a moment to compose the thrumming of his soul. He was getting attached to her, he knew that already, but this was on a whole other level. It would be cruel to step in while she was still vulnerable…right?

Sans sauntered down the stairs to find Papyrus waiting by the door, “Let’s head out.” He passed the couch and glanced at Ryou’s sleeping form, “Hey Paps, hold up.” He walked to the closet and pulled out an extra blanket and gently laid it over Ryou. He shoved his hands in his pockets and left with Papyrus. Hopefully she wouldn’t mind her pillow getting away for a few hours. 

 

Ryou woke with a start. The house was filled with silence and she realized quickly she was alone. Taking advantage of this she got up from the couch and stretched; something familiar caught her eye and she picked up Sans’s hoodie. She looked at the end of the couch where she’d left hers, and then back at the one in her hands. The fabric was still soft, obviously well loved, and it was missing many of the patch jobs that Nova had made over the years. 

She sighed, folding the blanket and hoodie and leaving them neatly on the couch as she walked upstairs to shower. She was groggy, a little stiff from sleeping on a lumpy couch, but otherwise she felt better. She couldn’t place her fingers on it, but it almost felt like she’d gotten rest. Actual rest. She peeled off her clothes, a little upset she’d fallen asleep in them, and climbed into the rush of hot water, letting it run over her skin and unwind her tense muscles. She touched her hand to her chest and allowed her soul to come out, it’s pink glow casting light off the steam around her. 

“Always a mystery…” She whispered to her soul, admiring the way it shimmered and pulsed above her outstretched hand. Letting it float back into her body she felt a small wave of euphoria as it settled back into its place. She touched the spot and sighed, closing her eyes and trying to envision the monster that was her father, the one who was to blame for her alien color of soul. “Where are you now, I wonder?” She murmured, opening her eyes to the light shades of violet painted on the bathroom walls. ‘A soothing color’ her mother would say. She guessed a light lavender was supposed to represent relaxation…that, or Papyrus just really enjoyed the color purple. 

After a nice long shower she hopped out and dried herself before walking into Sans’s room for a change of clothes. She’d been too wrapped up in the idea of a relaxing shower that she’d forgotten them. How clumsy. She pulled on some socks, surprised when they went up to her knees, and some shorts. She needed to wash her clothes again; though now she realized the brothers hadn’t been doing laundry since her arrival. Nova would’ve thrown a fit about laundry not being done. She pulled an oversized white t-shit over her head and then Sans’s hoodie. She needed to wash hers anyway and she was sure Sans wouldn’t mind her borrowing his. He did leave it with her after all. 

She decided that since the two had been so hospitable to her she should repay their kindness. She decided to clean the house. She started by picking up Sans’s room and working her way around the house. She grabbed a laundry bin from Papyrus and began piling their clothes into it, tossing her own into the mix. When she got into the laundry room she began separating the colors, darks, and lights into piles before throwing them in with laundry soap and starting the washer. Next, she began throwing away the trash in Sans’s room, getting rid of his ever growing trash tornado. She still had no idea how the hell he managed to create something so…there wasn’t a word big enough to describe it. 

After she finished his room, including putting fresh sheets and blankets on his bed, she moved to Papyrus’s room, only to realize he had obviously beaten her to it. Even his action figures were dusted and his floor was swept. She shook her head, Nova cleaned more as she got older, embarrassed to have her anywhere near his room when it was a mess, not to say she didn’t find it a mess on more than one occasion, he still did his best to hide it. She vacuumed the hallway, stairs, and Livingroom floor before fixing the couch, dusting the entertainment system, and moved onto the kitchen. It was relatively clean, just needed a little once over on the counters and the floor needed to be swept, but everything was still pretty clean. 

When she finished she moved to the bathroom. She scrubbed the tiles, counter, and floor, made sure clean towels were hung up, and lit a candle before heading down to the couch to sit and do…nothing. She realized that it had only been two hours and she had already cleaned the whole house. 

“Okay, now what should I do?” She thought about turning on the TV but her growling stomach was more important. She got up and headed to the fridge to find aged spaghetti, a bottle of mustard, and a jar with a single pickle inside. She stared in shock, where the hell did all their food go? Then it dawned on her. Papyrus must’ve taken ingredients to Undyne’s house for his lessons…

“I’ll have to teach him how to cook, you don’t need all that for spaghetti.” She stood up and sighed. “Guess I’ll have to go to the store, hope they have what I need…” She murmured absently to herself. 

She grabbed her scarf and beanie, pulled her boots on, then went to the cupboard where a jar sat hidden in the back. She snickered to herself, this Papyrus stashed money in a jar in the same place that hers had. Lucky her. She pulled out a good amount before heading out into the cold. She could feel it on her legs as she walked quickly to the shop at the end of the road. She tried to keep to herself, waved occasionally at monsters she’d once known well, to which they surprisingly happily waved back. She felt like a popsicle by the time she entered the store, shivering a bit as she approached the counter. 

“Oh, you poor thing,” The bunny woman behind the counter mused. “Must be awfully cold out there today, blizzard season is on its way.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty crazy.” Ryou hummed in delight as the warmth of the store thawed her slightly frozen legs. 

“What can I get for you today?”

Ryou thought about dinner options and decided on lasagna, “Can I get some lasagna noodles, tomato sauce, white cheese, and some ground meat?”

The bunny nodded, “I’ll go grab that for you, I’ll be right back. You go ahead and sit in that chair over there, it’s next to the heater.”

Ryou didn’t hesitate before scurrying over to the warmth of the heater and the fact it had warmed the seat of the couch, “Why aren’t butt warmers on seats a thing?” She wondered quietly, sinking into the warm cushion. 

Ten minutes later and the woman returned with a bag filled with your request and a small bag on the top, “Sorry to keep you waiting, I was baking some cinnabun’s in the oven and they just got out, thought you might like a few for you and the brothers. I never thought I’d see the day Sans would find such a wonderful girl.”

Ryou was halfway to the counter when her face turned red and her eyes widened, “W-What? No, I-I’m just…its n-not like that!” Ryou said quickly, the tips of her ears were burning. 

The bunny woman giggled to herself, “Surely, but when I saw you folks playin’ in the snow the other day I could just see this look in his eyes when he looked at you. Oh it made my heart flutter.” She said a little dreamily. “Like he was protecting something so precious.”

Ryou wondered if steam was coming of her now pink skin, “Must’ve been when I wasn’t looking…”

“How long have you both known one another?” She asked, leaning over the counter. 

“Ah…a week? I think? I’ve lost track of the days.” She admitted. “I think the brother’s are great, but I don’t think Sans see’s me as anything more than a friend he can mercilessly tease.” She said with a little more annoyance than she meant. “I recently lost a lot of people I cared about and well…Sans and Papyrus took me in. I’m just happy to have such nice people taking care of me.”

“I’m sorry to hear about your loss, it takes time, but you’ll heal. A little soul food will help too, those cinnabuns are infused with healing magic, a little something I started making lately. Hope you like them.” She looked at the time and gasped. “I shouldn’t keep you, you look like you’ve got a lot on your plate, and those cinnabuns are always best fresh from the oven.” She said with a proud smile. “Have a wonderful day, sweetheart! Tell those brother’s I said hi!”

“I will, thank you!” Ryou said as she braced herself for the chill of the outside. It hit her like a ton of bricks, the icy air cut through the warmth she’d just acquired and she was a popsicle the moment she got back home. When she got inside she cranked up the heat a little and got started on dinner, pulling an onion out of the fruit basket, not sure how it got there but Ryou didn’t complain since she’d forgotten to buy one, some garlic, and a tomato. She made a mental note to remind Papyrus to keep these in the fridge next time. 

She had gotten everything minced and cooking when she heard the door open. She turned to see Papyrus walk in with Sans in tow. She felt her cheeks turn red…why were they turning red? She shook her head and tried to concentrate on the food. 

“SANS, YOU KNOW YOU’RE GOING TO GET INTO TROUBLE IF YOU KEEP SLACKING OFF AT YOUR POST!”

“I know, but did you see anything suspicious today?” Sans asked. Kicking his sneakers off and slipping on his slippers. Still pink, still fuzzy, pink slippers…

“NOT A THING, BUT THAT IS ALRIGHT! WE WILL BREAK THE BARRIER SOON ENOUGH!” Papyrus said optimistically. 

Sans paused, “Whoa, who replaced our house with a new one?”

“IT LOOKS BETTER THAN EVER! AND I SMELL SPAGHETTI!” 

Sans could smell how fresh the house was, and could now smell the food being cooked in the kitchen where he found Ryou standing at the stove. He peaked over her shoulder, “Looks-“ Ryou jumped, a small shriek escaped as she turned to look at him, her cheeks flushing again with embarrassment. If her cheeks kept doing this Sans was sure her face would stay red forever. “good..?”

“Sans,” She said, her eyes averted. “Sorry, you startled me. Guess I was lost in thought!” She laughed, a little winded, but she couldn’t help trying to laugh it off. “I guess you’re hungry?”

A devilish grin spread over his skull and Ryou felt instant dread, “You RED my mind! Worried me there for a moment, I thought you’d caught a fever.” He chuckled, winking at her. “But that’s enough teasing, I need to go BLUSH my teeth and get into my pj’s.”

Ryou narrowed her eyes at him, “So no dinner for you then?”

He smiled nervously, his own cheekbones dusting in a light blue hue, “Heh, n-no, I’m pretty hungry.”

“Then out of the kitchen until I’m done cooking, you’re making me a little BLUE.” She said pointedly.

He touched his cheek, realizing they were warm and he instinctively pulled up his hood with a shrug, “Alright, sassy pants, I’ll go watch some TV until you’re done.” He chuckled, grin widening. “But your puns just tickle me PINK.”

She threw the wooden spoon she’d been holding at him, nailing him in the head, “Would you get out of here!”

He laughed, rubbing his head, “I’m going, I’m going!” He used his magic to return the spoon before leaving the kitchen.   
Ryou huffed as her red cheeks dimmed to a light pink and she resumed cooking. “Bonehead…” She mumbled to herself, a small smile appearing on her lips. 

When the meal was finished she set it on the table and gathered the brothers to the table. Both of them stared at the food in confusion. Papyrus spoke first, “THIS IS NOT SPAGHETTI?”

“It’s lasagna. It’s spaghetti but with bigger noodles and layered like a cake.” Ryou said with a proud smile. “I would’ve made something else but pasta is…honestly all I recall how to make…” She laughed awkwardly. 

Sans shrugged, “I’m sure if you made it it’s good.”

Ryou felt the heat rushing to her face but she shook it off, trying to avoid another pun war before dinner, “Dig in guys!”

 

A month passed by quickly, since blizzards seemed to be becoming more frequent, Sans had the brilliant idea to head to the deeper areas of Waterfall and go swimming; because nothing said “let’s go swimming” like a good blizzard. The mineral water near the core was always nice and warm, but never hot, so Sans thought inviting everyone and hanging out might help Ryou ease herself into the other’s lives. She knew he was trying to help, but she was a little terrified. 

“I invited everyone, the only one who won’t be making it is Asgore, he has some paperwork to do at the castle, so it’ll just be us three, Undyne, Alphys, Toriel, and Frisk.” When she gave him a skeptical look he turned to persuasion. “Come on, I promised I’d teach you how to swim, this is a good opportunity.”

“Hearing the laziest brother say that is concerning.” Ryou mumbled to herself but relented. “Fine, I’ll go.”

“Great, cause Alphys and Undyne are on their way now.” Sans said sheepishly. 

Ryou stared at him, “You…mean we’re going today?”

“Maybe.”

“Sans.” She warned. 

He held up his hands, “Yeah, everyone but you, me, Undyne, and Alphys is already there waiting. The um…other girls wanted to give you some things so their coming here before we go.”

A nauseous feeling tickled the pit of her stomach but she swallowed it down, “G-Great…”

The knock on the door made Ryou jump a bit, she watched Sans open and let the two girls inside, “Hey, right on time.” Sans noted. 

“W-We were busy looking for a g-good bathing suit f-for Ryou. We p-picked it out together…” Alphys said with a small blush. 

“Yeah, punk! Go try it on!” Undyne boomed happily, pushing a large bag into Ryou’s hands and pushing her towards the stairs. “There’s some other clothes in there for you, so you can stop wearing Sans’s stuff!”

Ryou hid behind her bangs as she hurried to the bathroom and locked the door behind herself. She waited a moment before she pulled the bathing suit out of the bag, and she grit her teeth. It was a white bikini with white frills and was a size too small. She noted the size because when she put it on her breasts were all but popping out of the top. She felt her face burning and realized they wanted her to wear this in front of everyone. 

A knock on the bathroom door made her jump, it was heavy so she knew it was Undyne, “Hey, you finished? How does it look?”

“It’s too small…” Ryou admitted nervously. 

“Let me see.” Undyne sighed, breaking the knob on the door and letting it slide open on its own. Her eyes widened and her own cheeks flushed. “Whoa! How are you keeping those babies in there?!” Undyne asked excitedly. “You guys have to see this!” Undyne grabbed Ryou’s arm and towed her towards the stairs, Ryou flailing a bit in protest. 

“U-Undyne!” Ryou cried but it was too late. She instinctively tried to cover her chest but Undyne caught her arms.

“Don’t hide them!” Undyne teased and pulled her arms up. 

Whatever conversation that was being held ceased immediately and Ryou watched in horror as the bottom of her top slipped up and over her breasts, letting them free from their cloth prison. Sans’s entire face turned blue, the lights in his eyes disappearing and Alphys was quickly following with her yellow skin turning a bright scarlet, “U-Undyne! Her top!”

Undyne raised a brow then looked down to see Ryou’s now exposed chest, “Uh oh…”

Ryou let out a shriek and pulled her arms free, covering herself. She turned, pushing Undyne out of the way before running into Sans’s bedroom and slamming the door shut behind her. The house was quiet. Alphys broke the silence, “Undyne, you should go apologize to her.” She scolded. 

Undyne rocked awkwardly on her feet, “I didn’t mean to, I just thought she looked really cute…”

Alphys turned to look at Sans, “Are you okay?” He was blue, his whole face was practically glowing as he held a hand over his eyes. “Uh…Sans?”

“What?” He asked hoarsely. 

“N-Nothing…” She decided it best to leave him be. 

Ryou came out of Sans’s room with a black tank top over the bikini top, it was form fitting so she could swim in it without worrying. She was hiding her face behind her bangs, her bag with her other clothes inside and her towel. “Let’s just get this over with…”

“Hey, I’m really sorry.” Undyne apologized. 

Ryou shook her head, “Don’t mention it, I’m already embarrassed. Just pretend nothing happened.”

“Uh, sure.” Undyne agreed nervously as Ryou walked past her and down the stairs. 

Sans glanced at her, his face still a noticeable shade of blue, “You, um…you good?”

“I’m fine, can we go now?” Ryou pleaded, her bag clutched tightly to her side. 

Sans nodded, getting up from his seat before patting her on her shoulder, “Don’t worry about it, I didn’t see anything.”

“I appreciate the lie, Sans, but could we not talk about it?” She begged quietly. 

“Yeah, sorry.” He mumbled, taking her hand in his. “You guys walking or am I taking you all through a shortcut?”

“We’ll come with you.” Undyne said, taking Alphys in her arms before placing a hand on Sans’s shoulder. 

Sans kept calm, but narrowed his eyes at her, “Sure thing.”


	7. Finally Found You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ah...haha...heh...*clears throat* I'm still a little sick but I'm feeling better! Hope you guys enjoy because I had the hardest time fixing this chapter, so much so I said "fudge it" and rolled with it.   
> I'm planning to draw some art of a few scenes from this and posting them on tumblr! When I feel at 100% again I'll be starting on that! I'll link my Tumblr next time lol

When they arrived Ryou felt the change in temperature fluctuate to a nice temperate warmth. It might’ve been the cool air of Waterfall mixing with the hot temperature of the core, but the atmosphere reminded her of summer on the surface. The other’s had set up near the water and were causally talking in their bathing suits. Sans released her hand and shrugged off Undyne to go greet his brother, Undyne and Alphys following behind. Ryou took her time, wishing to stay away from the water as much as she could while she was here. 

“AH! SANS! GOOD TO SEE YOU ALL MADE IT!” Papyrus said excitedly. “TORIEL SAYS WE CAN ALL GO IN SOON! I’M SO EXCITED!”

“Me too, its been a while, huh?” Sans shrugged. “Last time we went swimming you were still pretty young.”

“How little?” Toriel asked from her spot on her picnic blanket, she was sipping on tea with an oversized sun hat on her head. There was no other reason to wear it other than it looked good on her.

Papyrus answered before Sans could open his mouth, “WE WERE YOUNG BUT SANS WAS PUTTING ME THROUGH SCHOOL WHILE HE WORKED! IT WAS BEFORE WE MOVED INTO OUR HOUSE IN SNOWDIN! WE CAME HERE AFTER VISITING HOTLAND FOR…UH…BROTHER? WHY WERE WE IN HOTLAND AGAIN?”

Sans rubbed his skull, sweat beading on his bones, “Eh, it was so long ago I can’t remember.”

Ryou sat a few feet from the others, her soul ached involuntarily, knowing full well Sans knew. How do you tell your brother about someone who was erased from existence? There wasn’t anything that could be done about the missing memories, only Sans had the burden of remembering them. Her thoughts were interrupted by Frisk bounding up to her and hugging her arm, “Oh, Frisk! What are you doing over here?”

‘I should be asking you that.’ Frisk signed to her with disappointment on her small face. 

“Oh I uh…just needed some space from the others. Undyne sorta caused me to expose myself to Sans and Alphys.” She laughed dryly. “So I’d rather be over here for a bit.”

‘Oh gosh, I’m so sorry! Do you want me to res-‘

Ryou grabbed her hands, her smile forced, “Don’t joke about that, Frisk.” Ryou warned. 

Frisk cocked her head to the side but nodded, taking her hands back as she moved to sit beside Ryou, ‘Well, good thing Uncle Sans likes you so much.’

There was a pause before Ryou’s cheeks began burning again and she curled her knees to her chest, “Does he…” She mumbled, less of a question than it was a statement. “It’s okay, hopefully everything will go smoothly and they will just forget about it.”

‘That’s all you really can do.’ 

Ryou pat Frisk’s head, “Thanks kid.”

“Hey punks! You guys ready to get in, or what?” Undyne yelled over as the group began heading for the water. 

Frisk Jumped up with a wide smile and signed, ‘On our way!’ She turned to Ryou. ‘Let’s go!’

Ryou reluctantly got to her feet and pulled off her shorts and tank top, she adjusted the strings a bit to give her arms more freedom before joining the others, but her feet stopped at the water’s edge. She felt the water lap at her exposed toes, her skin breaking out in goosebumps as nerves bundled in her stomach. Was this really alright? She could imagine a hundred things happening to her once she got in and all of them didn’t end very pleasantly. 

“You getting in?” Sans asked from beside her. “I’ll wait with you if you like.”

She rocked on her feet, wringing her fingers a bit nervously, “You’re teaching me still, right?”

“Sure, if you wanna.” He turned and smiled at her, but his eyes were averted still. She guessed he was still feeling awkward from before as well. “Just let me know when you’re ready.”

She took several deep breaths before taking her first couple of steps into the water until it was up to her shins. She felt her legs shaking, but the water was surprisingly warm, not hot, but a pleasant lukewarm temperature. She took a deep breath again to steady herself. “See? You’re doing great.” Sans said as he walked with her. She may have been embarrassed from earlier but at this moment she wasn’t about to complain about how close he was to her as she faced her fears. 

“How far out should we go?” She asked, looking at her toes beneath the surface. 

“When its up to your stomach we’ll stop.” He wasn’t joking. He took it a step at a time with her. She was grateful for his presence, but instinctively grabbed his hand, trying to steady herself on the mushy lakebed. Sans gave her hand a small squeeze before leading her further in. When the water reached her navel they stopped, “This should be far enough.”

Ryou fought to keep her breathing even, “O-Okay, so now what?”

Sans turned to face her, “We’re going to get you started on kicking motions with your legs, then pairing it with strokes from your arms.” He waited for her to get ready, then realized she had no idea how to start. “Take my hands and let your legs off the ground. Let your body float, and don’t worry, I’ve got you.”

She sank into the water as she let herself float, gripping Sans tightly. Her eyes were wide and panicked as she felt the nothingness beneath her, “O-Oh gosh, oh golly, I…I’m floating.” She was genuinely shocked. She had a death grip on his hands. 

He winced but continued, “Okay, now, kick your legs.”

“Kick my legs?” She began moving her legs but Sans just shook his head at her. She kicked harder until water was being splashed out from behind her. She was kicking hard until Sans looked pleased with the speed. She smiled excitedly up at him. “Am I doing it?”

“Yeah, you’ve got some strong legs.” He mused. “You got the kicking down, you want to move onto the next step?”

“Yeah!” 

He helped her back onto her feet, “Okay, you start with your arms like this.” He held his arm up. “Imagine the water is paper and your arms and hands are scissors.”

She looked at his movement and mimicked him, “L-Like this?”

“Great, now the other arm comes over like this.” She mimicked him and he gave her a thumbs up. “See? Easy. But don’t worry, if it’s too much at first, just kick your legs and aim your body with the help of your arms…” He paused and rubbed the back of his head. “I can’t recall the names of everything I’m teaching, but you just need to know the basics to swim. You don’t need to learn anything too fancy. So, you want to try it out? You’ve got the two down pretty well, but I think now is a good time to test if you can coordinate them.”

She looked at the water and gulped, “I think I can handle it.” She didn’t sound very sure but she followed his instructions. Bad idea. Sans picked her up and helped her back to her feet. “You okay?”

“This is frustrating.” She mumbled, trying to shake off his hand but he just took her other hand and sighed. 

“Guess I’ll have to hold you up until you get the hang of things.” He wrapped an arm around her waist and eased her onto her stomach. “There, kick your legs and move your arms like I showed you.”

She did so, flailing a bit before she managed to get the hang of the rhythm. Suddenly she was moving forward towards the deeper end and she looked back to see Sans watching her from a distance, keeping his hand up to use his magic if she went under. She realized it then. “I…I’m doing it?” She smiled excitedly. “I’m doing it! Sans look!” 

“I see that, you’re a natural!” He grinned proudly. Her form was a bit weird but she wasn’t slipping under the surface so he relaxed a bit and joined her. 

She paused her movement, allowing her legs to dangle under her. She was able to keep her head up now without issue. She just had to kick her legs under the water to keep her above the surface, “Look at you, you’re getting the hang of it already. How did you never learn?”

She flushed, “Well…Undyne threw me in as a kid and had to get me out when I didn’t come back up.” She said sheepishly. “They didn’t know humans couldn’t swim.”

“I’m surprised Nova didn’t teach you.”

“He wasn’t much of a swimmer himself. He preferred dry land.” She laughed, the memory of Nova’s rant about how swimming wasn’t something needed in day to day life. “I’m starting to wonder if he was afraid of swimming, too.”

“Sounds like a downer, but you’ve got me to teach ya now. I bet I’d do a hell of a lot better than that guy.” He mumbled the last bit. A splash of water hit him from behind and when they turned they saw the others waiting for them to play. 

“You want to play with them? They look eager.” Sans snickered as he eyed Frisk who smiled guiltily back at him. 

“No, you go ahead, I just want to get used to swimming for a bit before I do any playing. I want to enjoy this little victory.” She said proudly. “Go ahead and join them, I’ll be close to shore so don’t worry too much.”

He hesitated but shrugged, “If you say so. If you need anything just holler.”

She turned and swam closer to the shore. It would be better this way, she didn’t want to ruin their fun with how slow she was. She paddled herself around for a bit, looking down into the water as she did so. It was crystal clear and had a faint blue glow, honestly Ryou had never thought water to be so pretty. She kicked around, looking down at the fish and rocks at the bottom, there were crystals sparkling on the lakebed in an array of colors. If she could she would’ve loved to dive down and inspect them, but the idea of her head plunging down under the water made a shiver run down her spine.  
After ten minutes the others began getting out to grab food but Ryou ignored them and continued enjoying her swim. She’d waited for so long just to be able to swim like her friends, and now that she could she was going to enjoy it. She watched the fish swimming around below the surface, some tickling her as they passed. If Nova could see her now, he would be dumbfounded. The idea made her giggle. 

Something caught her eye then, the bright crystals were dimming a little as a dark mass rose up from the depths. It was getting bigger the longer she watched; a shapeless form just gathered below her, then it turned to look at her. A white face appeared amongst the black mass, it’s body twitched and shuddered almost like it was glitching. Its only notable feature other than it’s black smile was the long black lines running above and below their eyes…a dark void where no light escaped.   
Ryou felt her heart leap into her throat as something reached up and grabbed her leg. She gave out a loud yelp before it dragged her under the surface. She wasn’t prepared for it as it met her under the surface, face to face. She couldn’t move, only stare as it stared back. It looked down. It reached out a hand and attempted to touch her chest where her soul sat thrumming anxiously in her chest. 

Bubbles escaped her lips as she attempted to scream but nothing came out, no sound, nothing but the slow humming of what sounded like static coming from the being before her. They touched her chest and what felt like an electric shock shot through her body. She soundlessly screamed as a voice filled her head, “Finally…finally…I found you…” Their voice was in her mind, the voice was male. They sounded desperate and sad. 

She couldn’t hear anything else, just a ringing that got louder as darkness swallowed her vision. Their darkness. She could feel water in her lungs, she could feel herself sinking into the darkness of this creature’s body, the cold static feeling intensifying the further she went. She wanted to kick and scream but she couldn’t move. She watched as her soul started glowing in her chest until it cut through the darkness and left her blinded in a white-pink light. 

 

Sans sat with Toriel, occasionally glancing at Ryou’s progress. He felt a sense of pride in her accomplishment, she was genuine in her excitement, she was afraid but she was trying to be strong. Even if things were a little new between them, he couldn’t deny his curiosity was in overdrive. She was cute and funny, something hard to find in other monsters, and above all, she shared in his pain. She knew what he was feeling, she felt it first hand, and here she was trying to move on from the past like a champion. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t a little attracted to her, she was cute as hell, how could he not? 

“Sans? Are you worried about Ryou? You’ve been staring at her for the last five minutes.” Toriel asked, her smile a little too knowing. 

“She’s like a kid, gotta keep my eye socket on her or she’ll end up fish bait.” He chuckled, giving her a wink. 

Toriel’s laugh was soft, “Well, would you like to eat? You and Ryou are the only two who haven’t eaten. Alphys was so kind in making these…ah, what did you call them, Alphys?”

“T-They’re called b-bento boxes. I saw them in one of our anime’s and t-thought I’d make some for everyone.” She fiddled with her phone a moment before smiling shyly. 

“They were wonderful, Alphys. Those little water sausages made to look like octopi were simply adorable.” Toriel giggled, giving Alphys a pat on her head. Alphys blushed a bit but looked content with that. 

Undyne wrapped her arm around Alphys, “Yeah, Alph! They were awesome!”

“NOT AS GOOD AS SPAGHETTI, BUT IT WAS A VERY CLOSE SECOND!” Papyrus chimed in.

Sans shrugged, “I’ll wait. Besides, the kid needs to eat too.”

‘She’s not a kid, Sans.’ Frisk countered. 

Sans flinched a bit, “I-I know that, it’s just a habit.”

‘You like her.’ Frisk teased with a devilish grin. ‘Sans and Ryou sitting in a tree!”

“Wanna have a bad time, kid?” Sans warned, giving her a devilish grin of his own. 

‘It’s true!’

“What’s true?” Toriel interjected. 

‘That Sans-‘ Frisk was cut off when Sans used his magic to stuff a sandwich into Frisk’s mouth.

“Just that Ryou’s a little timid, but she’s making progress.” Sans shrugged, his eye glowing a little as he eyed Frisk. 

“She looks much happier than she did when she fell.” Toriel pointed out, her expression soft and motherly. “You boy’s have been a wonderful help.”

A loud splash got everyone’s attention and Sans turned to see Ryou disappeared. He slowly got to his feet, “Uh…Toriel? Do you see her?”

Everyone jumped up, ‘Sans! She might’ve gotten a cramp and went under!’ Frisk sighed quickly. 

He took off into the water, “Ryou! Hey, kid, you there?!” No response but something caught his eye. Something dark under the water and something pink glowing from within it. Ryou’s soul was crying out for help. “Hang on, I got ya!”

Undyne rushed in with him, “I’ll grab her!”

Then the lake was glowing a florescent pink, it was so bright everyone had to look away for a moment. Sans bared it, wincing as he dove under and locked onto her sinking towards the bottom. His eye glowed as he used his magic to take a hold on her soul and forced her body towards him until she slammed into his body, knocking them both towards shore. Undyne was still blinking away the spots in her eye when Sans pulled Ryou out of the water and onto the shore. 

“Shit, what do I do?” He looked to Frisk frantically, since they were also human they had to know something, right? “Frisk, what do I do!?”

Frisk began signing, almost too quickly, ‘C.P.R! You have to get the water out of her lungs!’

“I don’t know what that is!” Sans grunted in frustration, looking around but everyone seemed to not know what to do either.  
Frisk ran over and knelt down before signing, ‘You have to push on her chest and force air in through her mouth!’

Sans let Frisk guide his hands over Ryou’s chest, he could feel the bone beneath her muscle and skin, “Now what?” Frisk made a forceful motion with her hands and Sans copied, “Nothing’s happening!” She rolled her eyes before doing the motion harder. He followed Frisk’s instructions, worried he’d hurt Ryou but Frisk looked satisfied with the amount of force he was using. After a moment Frisk stopped him and pointed to her mouth, then to Ryou’s mouth. Sans’s cheekbones turned a shade of blue and he glared at her, “Now’s not the time for that, Kid!”

‘No, bonehead, give her mouth to mouth! Air! She need’s air!’

Sans looked between Ryou and Frisk before realizing everyone was watching him intently. He was going to regret this… He cautiously leaned in and-

Ryou’s eyes flew open and stared into his. She all but shoved him away as water erupted out of her mouth and she forced herself to turn onto her side, coughing and gasping for air. Sans fell back a bit, sitting in a bit of a daze while Toriel patted Ryou’s back to help her breath. 

“Goodness, Ryou! You gave us all a scare!” 

“Yeah, Punk! What happened?” Undyne asked, kneeling beside her. 

Ryou was shaking hard, her lips quivering, “Someone…” She croaked out. “In…the water…”

That turned heads. Sans looked out at the water, remembering the dark mass, “I think I should get you home, Ryou. Get you dried off and resting.” He got to his feet and immediately Papyrus hugged him. 

“GOOD JOB, BROTHER! YOU SAVED HER!”

They’d only been there for an hour and Sans was already done with this trip, “Yeah…” He said awkwardly. He couldn’t stop the hum of magic coursing through him so rapidly, he was just trying to save her, he wasn’t about to kiss her, right? He put a hand to his head, “I’m just gunna take her home. I need a nap.”

“Want me to check the water, Sans? See who messed with her?” Undyne asked, cracking her knuckles. 

“Why are you asking me?” He chuckled weakly. “But no, if they’re dangerous then we don’t need to put you in danger.”

“Me in danger? HA! I’ll put that bastard in their place!” Undyne used her magic to form a spear before jumping into the water.

Sans didn’t bother stopping her, he knew whatever that was wasn’t there anymore. Whatever light that was coming from Ryou must’ve scared them off. He packed up their things, grabbed the bento boxes Alphys made and put them into Ryou’s bag then returned to Ryou’s side, “Hey, I’m gunna take us home for now. That okay?”

She nodded, “Yeah…I think I’m done swimming for a while…” She croaked out. She was still trembling. 

Sans nodded and, with Toriel’s help, got Ryou onto his back, “You set?”

“Mhm…” She mumbled, clutching him tightly. 

“If you both need anything just call, alright? I’ll be over later with some dinner so you don’t have to cook.” Toriel said with a gentle but worried smile.

“Thanks, Tori.” Sans chuckled. “You coming, Paps? Or you gunna hang out here for a while?”

“I’M HANGING OUT WITH UNDYNE AGAIN, TONIGHT, SHE AND ALPHYS WANTED TO SHOW ME A NEW SHOW. DO…YOU NEED ME TO BE HOME? WILL YOU BOTH BE ALRIGHT?”

“Yeah bro, don’t worry about us, I’ve got this handled.” Sans reassured him, patting Papyrus’s arm affectionately. 

“ALRIGHT THEN, NYEH…”

Sans snapped his fingers, and using an exhausting amount of magic, managed to get them to the house before almost collapsing. He panted as he let the bag slide off his shoulder and onto the floor; he set Ryou on the couch and grabbed the blanket from the closet, wrapping her in it before sitting on the floor in front of her, “So, care to explain?”

“I don’t know what I saw, a monster? Some kind of black mass with a white face…their face was scarred and their smile seemed forced. I…I don’t know how to explain it, Sans, but the sound they made; it was like static but drowned and jumbled. The only word that comes to mind is distorted.”

Sans felt the warmth in his bones leave him, “Scars on their face?”

“One up his head from the right eye and one down to his jaw from the left. They spoke to me.” She put a hand to her soul instinctively. “They said that they finally found me…Sans?” He was starting to shake, bones rattling a bit in the silence of the house. “Is it something I said?”

“There’s no way, Ryou…are you one hundred percent sure that’s what you saw?” His voice was hollow like his eyes. 

“Yeah, I was face to face with them long enough to get a good look.” 

Sans put a hand to his mouth, “That can’t be right…that’s not possible…”

“I know what I saw, Sans.” 

He grunted, “I believe you, it’s just…it sounded like you were describing Gaster.”

Ryou’s breath hitched, “You mean…the scientist?” He nodded. “If it was, why was he looking for me?”

“I can’t confirm it was him since I didn’t see them, but if it is, I couldn’t even begin to imagine why he would’ve been looking for you, let alone why he chose such a vulnerable moment to contact you. The asshole could’ve killed you!” He ranted angrily. 

Ryou sighed, “I don’t know…I just know he triggered something. Something in my soul. It felt like my whole being was confused and distressed.” 

“Yeah, almost blinded us.” He grumbled but sighed. “And about earlier…I promise I wasn’t tryin to kiss you.”

Her skin turned pink as she said shyly, “O-Oh, I was meaning to ask about that.” She wrung her hands for a moment. “Did you want to?”

There was a tense silence, then Sans managed to find his voice, “Did I want to do what?”

“…Kiss?”

He held up his hands, “Whoa, hold on, pump the breaks!” His cheekbones were almost glowing a cobalt blue as he attempted to register her words, “What do you mean kiss? Are you saying you wanted me to kiss you?”

She puffed out her cheek, “I’m saying I wouldn’t have minded.”

“I can’t even come up with a word big enough to describe how confused I am right now.”

She laughed softly, tucking her hair behind her ear, “What? You’re a charming guy and I like you a lot.”

“That’s a pretty bold statement.” His voice was hoarse and a little higher pitched than usual. “Considering the fact we’ve only been living together for a little over a month.”

“And?”

“And you’re…you, you’re also prone to danger or strange events that seem to always lead to something crazy or otherwise exciting. Does it not make you feel…I don’t know, weird? Or at least a little strange? Kissing is an important aspect of dating and shouldn’t be done lightly and…and…” 

“Is that a no?” She snickered at him. 

“I never said that.” 

“So, then, what are you waiting for?” She was giggling to herself but she choked on it abruptly when he stood up and took her face in his hands. 

“You sure you wanna do this?” He challenged. “There’s a lot of great monsters or humans out there who might do this a lot bet-“ Ryou pressed her lips to his mouth, forcing him to freeze up. She was warm, her lips were soft against him and for a moment he couldn’t figure out what was happening. The moment it clicked he pulled her into his arms and deepened the kiss a bit, but it was enough that when they pulled away from one another they could only catch their breath and stare at one another in bewilderment. 

“Whoa.” Ryou let out a breathless giggle. 

“Yeah.” He searched her face for a moment. “That was a lot more pleasant that I’d imagined.”

She nodded, “I’ve never shared a kiss with anybody before. Left me a little winded.” She admitted shyly. 

Oh. “Why would you waste your first kiss one me?” He sounded concerned, but deep down he got a strange satisfaction from the idea. 

“I guess I just liked you above the rest.” She murmured. “I do like you, Sans.”

He looked away, then back and a sheepish grin appeared, “Can we do it again?”

“Now you’re just being greedy.” She teased, but leaned in and kissed him gently on his cheek. “But I wouldn’t mind doing it again sometime.”

He sighed and chuckled, “I should go take a hot shower or something, get out of these wet clothes.”

“Sure. I’ll be here.” 

He tried not to rush to the bathroom where he took a long look in the mirror and found the lights in his eyes were tiny hearts and his cheekbones were possibly forever dyed blue. He hadn’t expected such a bold gesture. He figured that if he wanted a kiss there would have to be time and dating involved but things just picked up so fast he felt hot and confused. 

“The hell am I doing?” He asked his reflection before running the hot water in the shower and peeling off his clothes. He needed a few minutes to gather his thoughts and sort out the complex feelings buzzing inside himself. Monsters get attached easily, but he wasn’t sure it was normal for them to get involved this quickly. What exactly was he feeling? Was she feeling it too? He scratched his skull in frustration but a goofy grin spread over his face. This was a thought process he would have to think about later, but damn if he didn’t feel elated.


	8. Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Feeling much better, but still not at 100% yet. Hope you guys don't mind too much fluffy goodness, but let's be honest, Ryou needs it...like...damn. ANYWAY! Art's being posted on my art blog on Tumblr so if you're interested, you can check it out! I have one piece I'm finishing rn and will be posted soon! 
> 
> Enjoy!

Ryou woke up cold, freezing in fact. It took a moment but she realized she was face down outside in the snow. She felt woozy as she rolled onto her side and slowly got up, sitting on her legs as she tried to comprehend where she was. Looking around she pieced together that she was in the forest just outside of Snowdin, but how did she get out here? She carefully got to her feet and dusted the snow off her legs. That’s why she felt so cold, she didn’t have her scarf or hoodie. She was barefoot, wearing only a tank top and skirt, shin deep in the snow. She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered, her toes were going numb and her skin burned from the cold. There was no choice, she would have to walk home from here. Thank goodness she wasn’t far. 

Breaking through the trees she noticed something haunting. Silence. The town was empty and dust lined almost every inch of the snowy street. She stared at it with wide eyes and instinctively took a step back from the sight. Her heart lept in her chest as realization began to dawn on her, she turned her head to look down the road, “Sans! Papyrus!” She cried out, running as fast as she could down the path. She slipped and tripped over herself just trying just to get to the door. She threw it open and yelled, “Papyrus?” She ran up the stairs and threw open Papyrus’s bedroom door only to find it dark and empty. “Shit…Sans?” She ran to his room and opened the door. Empty. 

“Oh no…no…please, not again!” She ran out of the room, hopped over the railing and to the floor below. She ran outside once again and looked around, “This can’t be happening…please, this can’t…” If there were this many piles of dust already, it could only mean…

“Found you!”

Ryou felt the painful sting of fear run up her back and her eyes darkened, she clenched her jaw as she turned slowly to see the small flower bobbing a bit as they watched her. “No…this isn’t happening…” She managed to say through quivering lips. 

“Golly, don’t you remember? It’s me! You’re best friend…” His face twisted into a horrifying sneer. “Flowey the Flower.”

She turned to run but was now face to face with Chara, their face twisted and distorted in a bloody and demonic grin, cackling sadistically as they brandished their knife. Ryou could see the horror on her own face in the gleaming reflection of the blade. Flowey began laughing, their body grew, vines crawling through the earth and making the snow and dirt turn over as they grew to incredible size. Their laughter was haunting. 

“Don’t worry, Ryou, this is all just a bad dream.” Chara’s voice was like poison, it hurt Ryou’s ears to listen to it. They pulled something blue out from behind them, something familiar that made Ryou’s skin crawl. Sans’s jacket. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” They giggled before tossing it at her feet, a red gleam twinkling in their void-like eyes. “Like you’ve seen this all before.”

Ryou slowly fell to her knees as she picked up the hoodie; her body began shaking uncontrollably as dust poured out of the fabric and into her lap. The sweater fell from her hands and she was horrified to find blood covering her fingers, it was still warm. She felt hot tears as she helplessly looked up at Chara, sobs caught in her throat as she stared up at the creature looming over her shaking form. 

“Just a bad dream,” Chara giggled sweetly. Ryou could see Papyrus’s scarf, Undyne’s eyepatch, Alphys’s labcoat…Frisk’s body…they were all laying behind Chara’s glitching form. Chara lifted the knife over Ryou’s head, “And you’re never waking up!” 

Ryou shot up screaming from the bed, her eyes glowing bright as a fiery mist spread over her skin and around the room, she felt hot tears pouring down cheeks, her throat ached but she couldn’t stop. Everything was spinning around and around, the darkness of the room spiraling until she felt sick. She couldn’t control the flux of magic flowing through her body, she felt like her soul was burning and the world was crashing down around her.

 

Sans was still awake, he was feeling uneasy about something. The air in the house felt wrong, something wasn’t right. He could hear Ryou sometimes, hear her whimpering in her sleep and it tore him up to hear it. He wanted to hold her and show her she was okay, but refrained. The last few days she had been quiet, content, and appeared to be happier. His soul thrummed at the memory of their shared kiss and he hid his head under his pillow, a flourecent blue flush creeping into his bones that he worried might catch Papyrus’s attention. 

“Sans?” Papyrus’s voice was unnaturally quiet. 

Damn it. “Y-Yeah, bro?”

“Something’s wrong…”

Sans sat up and looked at Papyrus, he was sitting up and looking down at Sans with a worried expression. Sans nodded, “You feel that too?”

Papyrus nodded, “It’s scaring me…” 

The silence of the house was shattered by a scream, it was ear piercing. Every fiber in Sans’s body shook with fear. In a second he was up and out of bed, tearing out of Papyrus’s bedroom and down the hall to his bedroom door. There were pink flames coming out the bottom. She was still screaming.  
Papyrus was beside Sans in a panic, “W-WHAT’S HAPPENING?!” He shouted, looking at the door then back to Sans. 

Sans used his magic to break the wooden door off its hinges and found Ryou curled in a ball, her eyes wide and glowing, tears rushing over her face as she screamed, her voice hoarse and mixed with gut wrenching sobs. But that wasn’t what Sans was stuck staring at. It was the angry black Gaster Blaster that was floating above her, it’s mouth filling with swirls of pinkish white energy. 

“PAPYRUS GET DOWN!” Sans shoved his brother to the side, forcing them both out of the way as the blaster’s maw opened and let loose a devastating blast of raw energy through the ceiling. Sans got up quickly before it could recharge and grabbed her shoulder’s hard. “Ryou! Stop! You’re going to bring the whole house down!” He yelled frantically before gathering her up into his arms and holding her. He wasn’t surprised she started fighting him, but before long she collapsed against him, continuing to sob loudly into his shirt. “I’ve got ya…” He murmured to her, rubbing her back. “I’m here, I’ve got ya.”

Papyrus sat up and stared at the hole in the ceiling, his mouth open and his eyes wide, “S-SHE PUT A HOLE IN THE CEILING!”

Ryou shook violently in Sans’s arms, her sobs beginning to quiet as he smoothed her hair back and held her tightly, “You’re okay, Ryou…”

“Everyone…dead…” Her voice was so shot that he could barely understand a word she said, except those two. He leaned back a little and took her face in his hands.

“Hey, I’m right here, alright? I’m here and you’re here, Papyrus is here too.” Sans tried to sound reassuring but the look in her eyes was haunting. 

“RYOU? ARE YOU ALRIGHT?” Papyrus asked nervously, sitting on the bed beside them. 

Sans looked her over, and just as he thought, her skin was starting to flush and she was going limp against him, “We need to get her to Hotland, Paps. She’s going into shock from energy disintegration. She needs medical attention that I can’t give.” Sans pulled her onto his back. “I’ll drop you off at Undyne’s and take it from there.” He grabbed Papyrus’s arm before he could protest and teleported them to Undyne’s front door. 

Sans banged on it and waited. When the door opened Undyne was immediately caught off guard, “Whoa, what are you guys doing here this early?” She grumbled, checking her watch. 

“Can Papyrus stay here for a while? I have to get Ryou to Alphys.”

Undyne’s eye widened, “Dude, what the hell happened? You guys look terrible.”

Sans grunted, “I’ll explain later, can he stay here or not?”

“Yeah, just…fill me in when you’re able.” Undyne said, making room for Papyrus to enter the house. 

Sans took no time snapping his fingers and teleporting inside Alphys’s lab, “Alphys?”

Alphys was sitting at her desk watching anime, noodles were hanging from her mouth as she turned to look at them. She quickly finished eating before she spoke, “Sans? W-What are you doing here this late? Is that Ryou?”

“Just help me lay her down somewhere.” He followed Alphys to a box upstairs that she quickly turned into a bed at the push of a button. He placed her on the bed and quickly began looking her over then looking at her soul. It was dim, “She lost so much magic she’s starting to destabilize.”

“I have medicine for energy disintegration, d-don’t worry.” Alphys scurried off into the lab, leaving Sans alone with Ryou. “All she needs is a little healing magic. I’ll put it in some food, it’ll g-get into her system faster.”

He brushed her hair back again, watching the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. Her skin was hot to the touch and her eyes were red and puffy from crying. He wouldn’t be surprised if she couldn’t talk for a few days, all that screaming couldn’t have done any good to her vocal cords. Her eyes cracked open and she looked at Sans, her irises a little more dim than usual, “Hey.” He said softly, giving her hand a little reassuring squeeze.

She took a deep breath and opened her mouth to talk, but a raspy squeak was all that came out. She looked confused. Sans shook his head, “Don’t talk, ‘kay? You were screamin’ pretty loud for a good few minutes before we got into the room.”

She raised a brow at him and he elaborated, “You were freaking out pretty badly. Also, um…you summoned a gaster blaster and blew a hole through the roof.”

Recognition. Her eyes widened and her soul shuddered in response. She began breathing harder and her eyes welled with tears. Sans shook his head, “You’re alright, Ryou. You just had a…REALLY bad nightmare.”

She calmed a degree, “Blaster…?” Her voice sounded like sandpaper, it made Sans wince.  
He rubbed his skull, “I’m starting to wonder that myself.” He gave a sigh before sitting on the bed beside her, “It was black as night and looked pissed. I don’t know what exactly you dreamt about, but that reaction says it’s nothing good.”

“Paps…” She croaked, gripping his arm. 

“He’s alright, he was just as surprised as I was. Unfortunately, since you just recently started using magic, your inner supply is small, but grows the more you use it. It’s dangerous to go over your limits because it causes something called Energy Disintegration. You basically went far beyond what you’re body is capable of and possibly damaged your soul, I couldn’t see any cracks or chips, but it wasn’t as bright as it normally is. You’re really lucky, you know that?” 

She shrugged and gave him a weak smile in response. He pat her hand, “You’re going to feel like hell for the next few days.” He warned, giving her a small smile. “But Paps and I will be there to take care of ya.”

“I’ve got it!” Alphys announced as she hurried back up to them with a bowl of ramen and a cinnabun. “Monster food is a h-healing food, so this s-should help you get back the energy you lost.”

Sans helped her sit up and eat the ramen, feeding her since she couldn’t move her body. Alphys was blushing the whole time, fidgeting awkwardly as he twisted the noodles around the fork and fed it to Ryou. After the ramen was finished, Sans tore apart the cinnabun and began feeding it to her, “Feeling any better?”

Ryou nodded slowly, “A little…” She still sounded terrible but he could understand her now. He brought another bite of cinnabun to her mouth and she took it happily. 

“You don’t have to tell me about it if you don’t want to, but…”

Her gaze dropped to her lap, “They came here…Chara and Flowey. Dust everywhere…just like my timeline.” She felt her shoulders shaking again. “Chara…had your hoodie and threw it to me. Dust…and blood…” She felt tears welling again. “It was still warm…”

Sans set the tray of food to the side and pulled her to him again. Alphys’s eyes were dark, “Sans? Didn’t you have nightmares like that?”

He was reluctant, but he nodded, “Yeah, haven’t had one in a while…” He pet Ryou’s head. “But they were just nightmares, Ryou. I won’t let anything like that happen, I promise you.”

Alphys nodded, “I h-had new cameras installed all around the Underground. If t-they m-manage to get through the barred door, we will see them coming. So rest easy, okay?” Alphys’s smile eased Ryou’s mind a bit. “Oh, um…y-you should be fine now, Ryou. You guys can go home if you want, or stay and watch anime…either way, I’m watching a-anime.” She giggled to herself. 

Sans nodded, “We’ll have to stop by Undyne’s and grab Papyrus…” Sans paused and sighed, dreading the exhaustion that was to come. “We’ll be fine, thanks Alphys.”

“I’m glad I could h-help!” 

Sans helped Ryou onto his back again then teleported them to Undyne’s. Sans’s legs wobbled, he was exhausted, “Okay…just gotta get us home.” He knocked on the door and immediately the door opened and Papyrus jumped out, scooping Ryou and Sans into his arms.

“WE WERE WAITING FOR YOU! ARE YOU OKAY NOW, RYOU? DO YOU NEED SOME SPAGHETTI? I CAN MAKE YOU SOME SPAGHETTI!” Papyrus asked, he was teary eyed and speaking in rapid fire. 

“I’m okay…just tired…” She assured him. 

“AND YOU SANS?” Snoring caught both of their attention and Ryou smiled, Sans passed out against Papyrus’s shoulder, “GOODNESS BROTHER, YOU REALLY CAN SLEEP ANYWHERE! NYEH HEH HEH!”

“Papyrus,” Undyne called as she walked outside. “What are you…oh, they’re back. Took you punk’s long enough.”

Ryou smiled, shrugging a bit as she spoke, “Alphys healed me…I’m feeling a bit better.”

“Energy disintegration, huh?” Undyne mumbled as she leaned against the doorway. “Most monster children get it in their early life when their magic is new and a little out of control. Papyrus said you blew open the roof with one blast of “some kind of giant black skull”, that’s impressive.”

“I can’t remember…” Ryou admitted.

“That’s too bad. Maybe I could train you to use your magic without hurting yourself? I’ve been teaching Papyrus since we were kids.” Undyne laughed. “He was such a dork!”

“UNDYNE!” Papyrus protested. “I’LL HAVE YOU KNOW THAT YOU DIDN’T HAVE MUCH CONTROL OF YOUR MAGIC EITHER!”

“You were so cute when you made your first bone attack, you yelled “behold my special attack!” for days.” She laughed. 

“YES, WELL YOU WENT AROUND TRYING TO FIGHT EVERYTHING IN SIGHT WHEN YOU MADE YOUR FIRST SPEAR! YOU EVEN TRIED FIGHTING PET ROCK!”

“Oh yeah, you guys still have that at your house?”

“INDEED…” Papyrus looked down and realized Sans and Ryou were both dead asleep in his arms. 

“You guys should get home, I’ll bring by greater dog tomorrow and we’ll help fix your roof. Something tells me Sans is going to be attached to Ryou at the hip for a few days while she recovers. Just a hunch.” She snickered. “So, he won’t be much help.”

Papyrus threw Sans over his shoulder and held Ryou to his chest, “I’LL BE WATCHING THEM BOTH CLOSELY, NO WORRIES!” With that he turned and walked home. “You really are an amazing brother, Sans.” He murmured happily as he marched back to Snowdin. 

 

Hell. It was literal hell. Ryou woke up late with muscle spasms and cramps shooting through her arms and legs. Children having to go through this must be horrible for a parent to watch because Sans was having a hard time watching it. “Sans please, kill me or cut off my arms and legs…” Ryou whimpered. 

He just pat her head, “Nah, not to DISARM you, but that would cause more pain than relief.” He chuckled. “I’ll make you something to nibble on and add some of my healing magic…well…what little I have. It’s nothing like what Alphys can do, but it might just take the edge off.”

Ryou nodded, sniffling, “What are you making?”

“You’ll see.” He winked as he hopped up from the couch and headed to the kitchen. “Give me thirty minutes.”

She sat watching a crappy comedy, her limbs screaming at her, but somehow managed to fall asleep for what she thought was a few minutes, but when her eyes opened she was lying with her head in Sans’s lap and he was dead asleep against the cushions. She blinked a few times, wincing as the throbbing pain returned. She groaned in pain, causing Sans to stir. “Oh, crap, I must’ve dozed off. Sorry, I was letting your surprise cool off and decided to relax. Guess two hours is enough time to cool.” He helped her sit up then went to get whatever he’d made. 

Ryou watched him return with a plate hiding behind his back, she raised a brow at him but he just shrugged, “Close you’re eyes.” She closed them and waited. “Open your mouth.”

She hesitated but did as he asked. Something fluffy and sweet was placed on her tongue, the taste was so familiar that her eyes flew open and she looked at what Sans had in his hands. It was a chocolate chip muffin. She chewed slowly and her eyes watered, it was so good! “Sans…you made me muffins?”

He shrugged, “You told me they were your favorite, I thought I’d give it a try.”

It wasn’t just the muffin that she could taste, it was also something warm and comforting that swirled with the flavor. This must be his healing magic, “It’s wonderful.” She said, taking the muffin from him. The ache in her limbs began to gently subside as she pulled off another piece and held it up to Sans’s moth. “Try some.”

He looked at the piece of muffin, his face turning a light shade of blue as he leaned in and took it from her fingers. He played it off with a laugh, “Pretty good, guess my cooking skills aren’t so CRUMBY after all.” He winked. 

She continued eating, crumbs stuck to her lip and fell onto her shirt, “Thanks Sans, you’re the best.” She gave him a shy smile before stuffing a larger piece of muffin into her mouth. 

“Careful, you’re boosting my ego.” He chuckled, then noticed the crumbs dotting her lip. The opportunity presented itself and in a quick motion he cupped her chin and quickly swiped a flourecent blue tongue over her lips before sitting back and grinning at her. “Wow, tastes even better a second time, I make some pretty good muffins.”

Ryou’s face turned scarlet red as she attempted to swallow the piece of muffin still in her mouth. She could feel her heart thumping hard in her chest and nerves ball in her stomach. She couldn’t think of anything to say so she just continued stuffing her mouth. He leaned back against the cushions and yawned, but continued watching her. She felt uncomfortably warm now. When she finished the muffin Sans took no time in having her lay back down with her head on his lap. Oh golly…

“Sorry, was…that too bold?” Sans asked softly, petting her hair affectionately. 

She fidgeted, “A bit…but I don’t mind.”

“I wanted to ask you somethin’. What is this? Between us, I mean. I’ve been feeling things I’ve never felt before, things that…I didn’t think were possible for me to ever feel. Do you…like me? Do you feel…” He trailed off.

Ryou turned to look at him, her heart was beating faster than before. She could see it written all over his face, “Is it too early to say that I kinda love you?” She asked, a nervous smile touched her lips. Before he could answer she spoke. “I guess it would be, but I can’t really help it. You’ve been so good to me, Sans. I guess you could say I had a little crush on you before, but after…after last night I realized it went a bit deeper than that.”

He put a hand to his head, “Yeah…me too.” He glanced down at her. “So, uh…what should we do about it?”

She reached up her hand and put it on his cheek, “I don’t know, I guess…I guess we’re past the point of friendship, huh?”

He laughed but it was a bit winded, “Yeah, I think at this point it’s a bit beyond that line.”

“I guess I’ll have to start calling you my boyfriend, huh?” She teased. 

His face turned cobalt, “So, I guess we’re dating?”

She laughed softly, “Yeah, I guess we are.” She hid behind her bangs and a long silence passed between them. She bit her lip then spoke quietly, “C-Can we…kiss again?”

Sans put his hand on her forehead and chuckled, “You have a fever again, so, I’ll have to reluctantly pass. I don’t want to make your fever-“ She grabbed his sweater and pulled him down, pressing her lips to his mouth, startling him a bit. He lingered for a moment before pulling back and clearing his throat loudly. “So uh…yeah, fever…let’s not make it worse.”

She gave him a goofy smile before turning onto her side, “Yes, I should be resting. Thank you for the muffin, darling.” She teased. 

“I respond only to “bone daddy” now.” He chuckled.

She turned to look at him, “Not a chance in hell, sugar skull.”

He smirked, “That wasn’t much better.”

“But you’re so sweet.” She said with a grin, poking his ribs. 

He ruffled her hair and leaned back with a yawn, “Okay, honey, if you say so.”

She flushed again but it was her fever spiking more than anything, “I need to sleep, this fever is kicking my butt…”

“Get some rest.” He closed his eyes and sank further into the cushions. “I’ll be right here.”

It took her a few minutes to fall asleep, her heart was still beating at a rapid pace. She had butterflies swarming in her stomach but she finally managed to drift off. Everything was changing faster than she could keep up, she just hoped things would stay like this a little longer.


	9. Secret's Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving break! I know I did lol  
> I had a few glasses of blackberry wine and woke up horribly hung over this morning (I can't hold my liquor)  
> So my apologies, I couldn't write anything better this time around, but we've got some fun to be had next chapter <3   
> I have a short comic about Nova that will be featured on my tumblr soon, I'll let you guys know when it's up! :3  
> Enjoy!

Ryou didn’t know what she had initially expected, but muscle spasms were the least of her problems. The morning after she was stuck sick in the bathroom. She could only compare it to the flu, she’d only had it once since her monster blood helped repel human based diseases, but this was like having the flu x10. She was thankful Sans was asleep for most of it, only to find her passed out in the bathroom later. He attempted to move her but the motion sent her into another nauseous frenzy and had to rub her back until she was finished. 

“I’ve never seen a monster get this sick after using too much magic…but then again, you’re half human.” Sans sighed, letting her lean against him while she caught her breath. 

“It’s not fair…” She whined. “I use too much magic and I’m stuck barfing every five minutes with muscles cramps! You do it, and you just fall asleep!”

“Wasn’t always like that, you know.” Sans pointed out. “I was pretty sick myself the first few months, but every monster get’s a coping mechanism to help them through the sickness. Mine just happens to be sleeping.”

She pouted, “S’not fair…”

He shrugged and pat her head, “It’s okay, you’ll be fine.”

“If I don’t keel over from dehydration first…” She grumbled, her lips felt chapped and her throat was still raspy. She needed water but she feared another wave of nausea would come if she tried. “Why me…”

Sans sighed, “I’ll give Alphys a call and see if she can swing by with something for your stomach.” He looked down at her. “You want to stay in here or do you want to chance it and let me move you to my room? Undyne said they finished fixing the ceiling already so we don’t have to sleep on the couch anymore.”

“Bed...” Sans picked her up gently, using small movements as he pulled himself to his feet and walked to his room. He planted her against his pillows and pulled his comforter over her. Now that she was living with them he would really have to step it up and clean his room more, she’d gone through the trouble of cleaning it for him already…  
There was a loud rap on the front door and Sans sighed, “Just wait here, I’ll go see who’s practicing knock knock jokes on the front door.” He snickered before snapping his fingers and warping to the front door. Papyrus peaked into the livingroom from the kitchen as Sans opened the door to find Undyne and Alphys standing and shivering on the other side, “Oh hey, I was just about to call you Alphys.” He moved and allowed them to hurry into the warmth of the house. “I need something for nausea..?”

“She’s really sick, huh?” Alphys said knowingly before reaching into her bag and pulling out a small bottle. “It’s a tonic I made using a r-recipe I found in the g-garbage room.” Sans took it from her then raised a boney brow at them. 

“Thanks. So, what’re you guys here for?”

“Papyrus invited us over for anime today! Since we’ve been working so hard to repair your ceiling the last two days, Papyrus suggested we come and watch anime. He was going on about how he wanted to surprise us with his cooking.”

Sans shrugged, “Sounds fun.”

“OH SANS! WHY DON’T WE ALL WATCH ANIME TOGETHER?” Papyrus asked from the kitchen. “I CAN GET THE COUCH READY!”

Undyne looked pleased but Sans was hesitant, “You think she’ll be okay with how sick she’s been feeling? I mean, I woke up and found her with her head stuck in the toilet.” 

“How’d she manage that?” Undyne looked at Alphys who just snickered.

“That medicine will keep it down. She s-should be fine, plus, it might be good for her to have entertainment while she’s bedridden, don’t y-you think?” Alphys and Undyne shared a knowing look before giggling to themselves. 

He held up his hands, “Alright, I’ll go ask.” He snapped his fingers and warped back to his room. He found Ryou staring up at the ceiling, she looked pale again. “Hey uh…I got some medicine for you, Alphys and Undyne are here and wanted to know if you wanted to watch anime with them downstairs? If you’re not feeling up for it I’ll tell them.” He pulled the cap off the bottle and poured some of the liquid into it. “Cheers.” He chuckled. 

She drank it down, gagging a bit before taking a deep breath, “Let’s just get this over with…” 

Sans walked her down to the livingroom where Papyrus was padding blankets and pillows onto the couch, “Nice job, bro. Looks pretty comfy.”

Papyrus grinned and put his hands on his hipbones, “OF COURSE! ONLY THE BEST FOR MY FRIENDS!”

When everyone was settled on the couch, Sans leaned against the arm on the far end, letting Ryou use him as a pillow while they watched. The anime wasn’t anything too spectatular, just some girl being comically turned into a phantom and some vampire trying to turn her human again. It was a bit cheesy and at times made no sense, but Sans could appreciate the fighting scenes and the jokes being tossed around. Impressive work, if he was being honest. Ryou had long since fallen asleep, and it wasn’t long until Sans joined her. 

Papyrus glanced at them then looked at Undyne and Alphys who were watching Sans and Ryou instead of the TV, “WHY ARE YOU STARING AT THEM?”

Alphys sighed dreamily, “They’re m-my OTP, how could I not?”

“Yeah. Who knew your brother had it in him?” Undyne snickered. 

Papyrus smiled proudly, “MY BROTHER CAN DO ANYTHING.”

The three laughed together, the noise woke Ryou and Sans just chuckled at them. Undyne cleared her throat, “Oh, you guys are…still awake?”

“Just resting my eyes. Good to know you like to watch other’s sleep though.” Sans chuckled. 

Undyne flushed, “I-I do not!”

Alphys rested her head against Undyne’s shoulder and Undyne linked her arm with Papyrus’s. Ryou smiled weakly, something in her soul resonated with the atmosphere and she hummed contently. When she got better, she would have to do something for everyone as a thanks for everything. For now, she just buried herself deeper into Sans’s hoodie, the fabric smelled floral and a bit like ketchup, but it wasn’t a bad smell; it was a comfortable and familiar smell. 

After the anime was over, everyone suggested Grillby’s and Sans was, unfortunately, dragged along. He didn’t want to leave Ryou by herself and tried to talk his way out of it when Undyne cut in, “Dude, you’re being ridiculously protective of her. She’s not your girlfriend, so just chill.”

“Uh…actually, about that…” Sans started and everyone stared at him. He was thankful Ryou was still asleep on the couch. 

Sans waited until they got to Grillby’s to explain, everyone had been nagging at him to hurry up and explain all the way to the front doors. When they got seated Undyne crossed her arms, “Start explaining already!”

Alphys leaned against her hand while Papyrus fidgeted beside him, “Wasn’t like I was trying to like her, she was just finding new ways to get ‘under my skin’. When we came back from the lake, we kissed and-” He flinched when Undyne and Alphys stood up, slamming their hands on the table with excited looks in their eyes. 

“She kissed you?!” Undyne asked loudly. Sans signaled for her to keep it down but Alphys ignored it. 

“Oh my gosh! OH MY GOSH! It’s h-happening!” Alphys cheered. “Have you guys done anything else? Have you-?”

Sans’s face turned cobalt and he used his magic to stuff a napkin into her mouth, “Wow, this is a conversation I’d rather not be having.” He sounded a bit hysterical before he cleared his ‘throat’ and took a deep breath. “No, we haven’t, and I don’t…really expect to. Not anytime soon, anyway.” He sighed and rubbed his forehead as he sank lower in his seat. 

Papyrus turned and hugged Sans tightly, “CONGRATULATIONS, BROTHER! YOU’VE NOW GOT A DATE TO ASGORE’S BIRTHDAY PARTY!”

“When is that?” 

“Next week, chump.” Undyne said with a grin. “Hey, why don’t Alphys and I take Ryou to get a dress? I’m going in a tux but I think Ryou could really use the girl time, especially with how clingy you’ve been lately, Sans.”

Sans shot her a dirty look and she shrugged, “Yeah, I’m sure she’d love that. Just don’t DRESS her out too much, she’s still recovering.” Sans winked. Undyne and Papyrus groaned in unison. 

Grillby walked up to the table and brought out his pen and paper. Sans glanced at the fire elemental who was staring at him. Sans shrank a bit in his seat before Grillby gave him an approving thumbs up. Sans pulled his hood up and sat awkwardly while everyone got their orders. 

 

The moment Ryou recovered she was jumped by Alphys and Undyne, both girls grinned maniacally at her, “Why are you guys looking at me like that..?” She asked nervously sinking into the couch. 

“We’re kidnapping you!” Undyne announced. 

Ryou glanced at Alphys who matched Undyne’s excitement perfectly, “Uh…okay. Where are you taking me?”

“Dress shopping,” Alphys could hardly contain herself as she bounced excitedly. “We’re going to go try on some d-dresses for Asgore’s birthday p-party! We wanted to help you pick one out.”

Ryou looked at Sans who she could tell was actively trying to ignore the two girls by pretending to be asleep. She sighed and looked back at the two girls, “Sure, it would be nice to get out of the house for a bit. I’ve been cooped up inside for days. I need to stretch my poor legs.” She laughed. 

Undyne gave her a thumbs up, “Great, go get ready, we’re leaving in ten.”

Ryou got up and made her way up the stairs to get ready, her smile excited as she ran into Sans’s room. Undyne glanced at Sans who was looking at them out of the corner of his eye, “Sup, ladies.” He chuckled. 

Alphys smiled, “We’re just picking up Ryou.”

He shrugged, “Kay, just take care of her.” He yawned loudly before closing his eyes. 

“Sans? Have you seen my hoodie?” Ryou called from upstairs.

“Papyrus is washing it, you can take mine.” Sans called back to her. 

She hopped down the stairs, she was wearing her black skirt and one of Sans’s white t-shirts. She gave him a patient smile as he got up from the couch and pulled off his hoodie, gave her a tiny smirk as he handed it over, and waited for her to pull it over her head before ruffling her hair, “Have fun.” He went to get back on the couch, but she caught his hand. He turned back to ask what was up when she gave him a quick peck on the cheek and smiled cutely at him. 

“We’ll be back later.” She turned and joined the other two cackling girls as they made their way out the door. 

Sans flopped back on the couch, his grin a little too wide. He leaned against the arm of the couch, his face still flushed as she attempted to watch whatever was on the TV. 

“SANS, STOP BEING SO LAZY AND COME TASTE THIS SAUCE! I HAVE TO LEAVE IN A FEW MINUTES!” Papyrus called from the kitchen. 

Sans yawned and reluctantly got off the couch once more, “Yeah, yeah, no need to get SAUCY bro.” Sans walked into the kitchen and found Papyrus wearing a button up shirt and pants, something Sans had never seen Papyrus wear before. “Whoa, look at you bro, you look fancier than a steak dinner.”

Papyrus was stiff as he turned to shove a spoonful of sauce into Sans’s mouth, catching him completely off guard, “GOOD? GREAT! JUST ADD THE NOODLES WHEN THEY ARE DONE!” Papyrus said in a rush before practically ripping off his apron and heading to the door. 

“Hey, Paps! Hold on, where are you going in such a hurry?” Sans asked as he leaned in the kitchen doorway. 

Sweat began beading on Papyrus’s skull as he nervously smiled at Sans, “I-I HAVE SOME THINGS TO DO IN HOTLAND! J-JUST A FEW THINGS, I WON’T BE LONG!”

Sans eyed his brother questioningly, “Uh…alright, bro, have fun.”

When Papyrus was gone Sans just stood in the middle of the house trying to figure out what had his brother acting so suspicious. Was Papyrus meeting with some friends? Papyrus didn’t have many, but why meet in Hotland? He shrugged, whatever it was, Sans didn’t feel the need to involve himself, Papyrus was an adult after all.

 

Ryou looked through the array of MTT brand dresses that lined the racks, yet none of them seemed to catch her eye. Something about the way they were cut at the cleavage was a little too revealing. Undyne and Alphys were talking away, bringing Ryou dresses to try on and discovering that she was well developed and many of the dresses were practically suffocating her. 

Alphys gasped, “O-Oh! What about this pretty blue one.”

Undyne grinned, “Yeah, blue suits you.” She wiggled her eyebrows and Ryou shot her a look. 

“It’s nice but I would like something like a light cream or possibly black.”

“Black? You’re going to a birthday party, not a funeral.” Undyne snorted. 

Ryou rolled her eyes, “Fine, give me the blue one.” She pulled it out of Alphys’s hands and went to try it on. When she zipped it up and fixed the bodice, she looked at herself in the mirror and for a moment was stunned. The color stood out against her pale skin and contrasted with the baby pink of her eyes. The fabric was comfortable too, this dress was just asking to be bought. Ryou gave a twirl in the mirror before she showed the others.

“Well?” Ryou asked, turning for them to look at all her angles. 

Alphys gasped, “You l-look so beautiful! Sans’ jaw is gunna d-drop! N-No pun intended.”

“I’m not buying a dress just for Sans’s viewing pleasure.” Ryou huffed, folding her arms. 

“But don’t you want to i-impress him?” Alphys asked curiously, she looked up at Undyne who nodded. 

“She’s got a point. Don’t you want him to look at you? I haven’t ever seen Sans flustered before today, I can only imagine how shocked he’ll be when he see’s you wearing something so pretty.”

Ryou blushed and gave in with a loud sigh, “Okay, I get it.” She returned to the changing room and took off the dress. It may not have been her intention, but the idea of her instilling any type of desire in Sans made her stomach knot and her face burn. 

As they were paying for the dresses, Alphys’s lovely jade green dress included, Ryou caught a glimpse of what looked like Papyrus outside the store. Ryou angled herself a little to get a better look and saw him standing with…

“Is that…Papyrus and Mettaton outside?”

Undyne cleared her throat loudly, “I don’t see anything.”

Ryou stepped away from the others and gasped, Papyrus was sitting with Mettaton, their hands were linked under the table, “That is! Holy crap, are they-?” Undyne clasped a hand over Ryou’s mouth, leaving Alphys to pay for the clothes. 

“Listen,” She said sternly, her eye was on the two as she spoke. “Papyrus is a good guy, he deserves to be happy. That’s why, you can’t say anything about what you’re seeing…”

Ryou shook off Undyne, “Why? Isn’t this a good thing?”

Alphys approached with the bag of clothing, “It is…for everyone else. For Sans, though…”

Her arms fell to her sides and Ryou looked back at Papyrus’s happy face, “What? Does he not approve?”

“He can’t know. Papyrus asked us all to keep quiet about it because Sans despises Mettaton as a person. Mettaton has always been a flirt, he’s a star and has made it clear his life on the stage is more important than anything else; but Papyrus is the only exception. Mettaton admitted he loves Papyrus more than anything and wants things to work between them. Papyrus is a loyal guy and only wants Mettaton to be happy, so they’ve been dating in secret.”

“Sans doesn’t know because he wouldn’t approve of them…” Ryou stated with a groan. “But isn’t it kind of cruel to hide something so wonderful from your brother? It’ll take some getting used to, but Sans will come around.” Ryou assured them but they just shook their heads. 

“It’s best to be quiet about it. Sans and Papyrus are close but Papyrus admitted that he wants a life of his own. Sans is clingy and over protective of Papyrus, there’s no way he’d understand.” Undyne put her hands on her hips. “Just the way it is.”

Ryou felt a ping in the pit of her stomach, a ping of recognition that Sans had been through the resets and had seen Papyrus die more than once. ‘Of course he would be, he can’t trust other people around Papyrus!’ she wanted to yell, but she kept quiet and just nodded.

“Don’t worry too much about it, Ryou. It’s best to just let things h-happen.” Alphys said, giving her an affectionate pat on the shoulder. 

“I still think Sans has a right to know, but I won’t say anything.” Ryou said reluctantly. 

Papyrus and Mettaton got up from their seats and began walking towards the resort. Ryou was happy for them, that much she could say, she just hoped Sans would forgive her for keeping it to herself.


	10. Who's That Monster?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heh...hehe...HEHEHEHEHEHHAHAHAHAHAHA...*ahem*  
> Hey guys! Sorta...wanted to add more but I have to plan things carefully now ;3 just gunna let the pieces fall where they lie. Enjoy!

Sans fumbled with the buttons on his dress shirt as everyone scrambled to get ready to leave for Asgore’s party. They had time but Sans needed a few minutes to get dressed and practice his jokes. Toriel asked him to do a comedy show last minute and he wasn’t prepared in the least.  
The buttons of the dark blue shirt were small and easily slipping from his fingers. He eventually got fed up and used his magic to button his shirt for him. Once that was done he slipped on the black vest Papyrus bought him and buttoned his slacks. He took a look in the mirror and smirked. 

“FANCY meeting you here.” He made finger guns at himself in the mirror, then let his hands fall to his side with an exhausted sigh. “I look like a damn Christmas ornament…”

“You look fine.” Ryou’s voice from the doorway made him jump in surprise. “Besides, your fashion sense is pretty RICH in flavor.” She mimicked the finger guns he’d done with a grin.

She looked beautiful. She was wearing a blue ball gown with a brocaded design over the bodice, which was pushing her breasts up at a very peaked position. The gown was both elaborate and expensive looking and it cascaded down into a gorgeous flow of ocean blue silk. She wore a blue flower in her hair, the same color as the dress she wore, and matching bracelets and necklace; sterling silver embedded with cerulean beads. Sans felt the heat seeping into his bones and he cleared his ‘throat’ to get his mind focused. 

“G-Good one.” He mumbled a bit, attempting to put his hands in his pockets, then realizing there were none. “I really do not like fancy clothes. There’s no pockets.” 

Ryou walked up to him and giggled to herself, “Sans, you look great, that shade of blue really brings out your eyes.” 

He smirked and narrowed his eyes at her, “Yeah, looks like we’re matching tonight, eh?”

Ryou looked down at herself and her face turned pink, “I didn’t even notice.”

He pat her head, “No worries, you look very BLUE-tiful.”

“You’re cute.”

He shrugged, “I try.”

Papyrus knocked on the door and smiled, “LOOK AT YOU BOTH! YOU LOOK AMAZING! HOW DO I LOOK?”

Papyrus was essentially wearing the same thing Sans was, but with an orange undershirt and a dark brown vest, only difference was the tie Papyrus had clipped to the collar of the shirt. Sans refused to wear one, “You look great, bro.”

“You look wonderful Papyrus! Very handsome!” 

Papyrus grinned happily, “OF COURSE! I AM VERY GREAT AFTER ALL!”

“We ready to go?” Ryou asked, turning to Sans who was now frozen to the spot. “Uh…Sans?”

“Huh?” He snapped out of his trance and looked at her. “Sorry, Tori asked me to do a comedy bit for Asgore tonight; it was last minute and I’m a bit rusty.”

She clasped her hands together and smiled wide, “You are? Oh, this is going to be so much fun! I can’t wait! Sans, you’re going to do great!”

He blushed and scratched his cheek anxiously, “Heh…yeah…”

“COME NOW, BROTHER! YOU’LL DO FINE! YOU MAKE TERRIBLE JOKES OFF STAGE ALL THE TIME, WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?”

Sans shot his brother a look but sighed, “I guess that’s true.” 

“Well, I’m ready when you guys are. I’m anxious to see…everyone.” She admitted, her gaze a little distant as her words hung in the air. 

Sans pulled her to his side and pat her head, “Paps and I will be with ya, okay? If you feel overwhelmed, Paps or I will take you outside.”

She smiled and planted a piss to his skull, “Thanks, that makes me feel better.”

Papyrus went to join them and Sans wrapped an arm around both of them, “Hang on tight.” He snapped his fingers and in a moment they were standing at the castle door. Sans wobbled a moment, “Always takes it out of me.” He chuckled as Papyrus walked up and knocked loudly on the door. Sans absentmindedly took Ryou’s hand in his. 

They waited a moment, then the door swung open to reveal Toriel in a lovely violet dressing gown, she looked down at them before gasping, “Oh goodness! Ryou, is that you dear?”

“H-Hey Toriel.” Ryou said nervously with a tiny wave. She felt butterflies in her stomach once more. 

“Have you been staying with Sans and Papyrus this whole time? Goodness, I had no idea! Frisk didn’t tell me anything, oh that girl is in trouble.” Toriel huffed then smiled wide. “Sans, Papyrus, you both look so handsome. Thank you so much for looking out for Ryou.” She glanced down at their hands and put a fuzzy paw to her face. “Ah, to be so young again.”

Sans flushed a bit but kept his expression neutral, Ryou on the other hand was beat red, trying to pull her hand from his but he just tightened his grip, giving her grin when Toriel turned to head inside. “Come in! Everyone’s in the ball room or dining area, so please, make yourselves at home.”

When the door closed, someone peaked out from another room and suddenly the hall was filled with noise, “Pappy, darling!” It was Mettaton. 

Sans stiffened as the automaton wrapped his arms around Papyrus and squeezed, “HELLO, METTATON! YOU LOOK WONDERFUL! WOWIE! YOU EVEN PUT ON THE EARRINGS I GOT YOU!”

Ryou felt Sans’s eyes on her a moment but she refused to look at him, “Hey, Mettaton, how’s about you unhook your rusty arms from my brother before you regret-a-ton.” He released her hand and folded his arms, but his grin stayed wide and threatening. 

“Cute, did you spend all night thinking that one up?” Mettaton asked crudely, staring down at Sans with disinterest. 

Sans shrugged, but the warning in his eyes was clear, “Maybe.”

Papyrus sighed, “HOW ABOUT WE GO GREET KING ASGORE? I WOULD LOVE TO GIVE HIM A HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”

“Sure darling, I’ll come along.” Mettaton glared back at Sans as the two walked down the hall, leaving Sans glaring after them and Ryou standing awkwardly beside him. 

“I think they look cute together.” Ryou blurted out, then put a hand to her lips when Sans shot her a dirty look. 

“Like hell they are, that…that calculator is the worst person my brother could’ve befriended. He’s rude, narcissistic, and an egotistical jerk.”

Ryou bit her lip to keep from laughing, “But he doesn’t treat Papyrus that way, does he?”

“Well…no, but what if he does? If he hurts my brother, so help me I’ll-“ Ryou turned him to face her and placed her hand over his mouth. 

“Sans, your brother is an adult. He’s allowed to do things that adults do, he’s allowed to fall in love with whoever he wants, and if he wants to be with Mettaton, let him.”

He pulled her hand away, “BE with HIM?”

SHIT. “N-No, I just thought they looked happy together. Papyrus means a lot to me too, Sans, and I want nothing more than him to be happy. Don’t you?”

His shoulders relaxed and he gave a loud groan, “Damn it…you’re right. I shouldn’t get so upset when they hang out, but that doesn’t mean I like it.”

She kissed his skull, “Come on, let’s go have some fun, eat some cake, and mingle?”

He gave her a crooked grin before shrugging, “Okay, fine, let’s go have fun or whatever.”

They walked down the hall and into the ballroom where monsters were chatting loudly, laughing, drinking cider, and dancing. It was beautiful, they made the judgement hall into a ballroom, and it was very well decorated. Ryou saw many familiar faces, each one the same, but none of them knew who she was. Monster kid, Asgore, Burgerpants, Bratty and Catty…and so many others…

“Its like they’re all back from the dead…except I don’t exist in their memories anymore…” Ryou murmured as they took their seats at a table. There was a lone monster at the table beside theirs but their hood was up and they appeared to have a mask on over their mouth and glasses on over their eyes. She’d never seen this monster before. 

“I’m sure they’d love to meet you.” Sans chuckled. “Even though they aren’t the ones you remember exactly, they are still them, right?”

Ryou smiled at him, giving him a small hug, “Thanks Sans.”

He chuckled, “Anytime.”

After things settled down Sans brought Ryou over to Asgore’s throne and took a bow, “Hey, Fluffybuns, happy birthday.”

Asgore gave a hearty laugh, “Goodness! Sans, I could hardly recognize you in those clothes! Wonderful to see you my friend, and thank you for coming!” Asgore turned his attention to Ryou and had to do a double take. “Hello young one! You must be Ryou, Toriel told me about what happened and I am truly sorry to hear about your loss.”

“Oh…” She laughed softly. “Thank you, your highness. Happy birthday.”

“If you ever need a friendly ear and a cup of tea, you are welcome to visit me anytime.” He gave Ryou a warm smile. 

Her chest ached and her eyes swelled with tears, “T-Thank you.”

Sans took her hand in his and gave it a small squeeze, “Alright your royalness, we’re gunna go ‘mingle’ as she calls it.”

“Enjoy my friend! Tonight is for everyone.” Asgore said with a friendly wave. 

Sans walked Ryou back to their table before giving her a kiss on her head, “I’ve got to ask Toriel when I’m on, so sit tight, alright?”

She nodded, sniffling a bit before giving him a smile, “I’ll be fine, I was just a little overwhelmed.”

“Do you need Papyrus to take you outside?”

She shook her head and pat him on the arm, “I’m fine, Sans. I’ll be here when you get back.”

He hesitated but sighed and walked away into the next room, leaving Ryou sitting alone with her thoughts. She wasn’t very far into them when the chair beside her squeaked and she turned to see that same Monster sitting beside her, watching everyone dance and laugh. She glanced at them for a moment before turning her attention back to the crowd. It didn’t take long until they had her attention again as they slid a piece of paper to her hand. She looked at it curiously and read it.

‘Would you like to dance?’

She flushed and looked back at the monster, nerves bundled in her stomach and she shook her head, “S-Sorry, I’m not much of a dancer…”

They wrote something on a notepad before pulling it off and handing it to her, ‘One dance, and I won’t bother you again.’

She gave them a skeptical look but against her better judgement she agreed, “Alright…just one dance.”

They stood up and held out their hand. She was a little apprehensive but took it and was led out to the dance floor. The music that played was a classic, slow in rhythm, which made it easier for her to dance to. The monster pulled her close and took her hand, placing the other at her waist and within a moment she was whisked into a beautiful waltz. She followed their lead, her body moving in synch with theirs almost perfectly. She watched her feet but after a few moments she looked up at the monster who danced with her. She couldn’t see their face and they didn’t talk, so she couldn’t tell who they were. She smiled at them as they twirled her around and pulled her gracefully back into rhythm. 

“You’re a very good dancer.” She said breathlessly. 

They shrugged and twirled her around once more before dipping her a bit. 

“Hey bud, mind if I cut in?” 

Ryou was brought back up and had a protective arm around her waist, it was Sans. The monster chuckled and shrugged, “Go ahead.” They took her hand in theirs and moved the mask enough to expose their mouth as they kissed her knuckles. When she had her hand back they turned and disappeared into the crowd. Something in the pit of her stomach was cramping, she couldn’t catch her breath as she stared after them.

“Did you know them, or something?”

Ryou shook her head, “I’m not…sure. I don’t recognize them, but something about them felt familiar. I can’t put my finger on it…”

He led them back to their table and he took her hand, “You were very graceful out there, I was in awe for a while before I caught that monster eyeing me from across the room. I could see what he was doing, and I’m not too happy about it.”

Ryou smirked at him, “Jealous someone beat you to it?”

He blushed, “Somethin’ ain’t right about that monster…something just came off as weird.”

“Sorry, Sans…” She put her hand on his and kissed his cheekbone. “There will be more opportunities to dance with me.”

“I’m on in ten minutes, so grab yourself some food and drinks before I do so you don’t get your seat taken if you get hungry later.” 

She nodded and got up to grab a plate with some meat, veggies, and an extra plate with some pie. She was about to head to the table when she caught a flash of purple out of the corner of her eye. She turned to find that same monster heading towards the front door. Ryou realized that they had shared a dance but didn’t even know their name. She called out, “Hey! I didn’t catch your name!”

The monster turned to look at her and shrugged. They took a bow, excusing themselves, and disappeared into a puff of black smoke. Something felt weird about them, she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. She sighed and grabbed her plates, so she could return to her seat. She didn’t want to dwell on whoever that monster was; if they wanted to be mysterious she wasn’t going to pry. When she returned to her seat Sans gave her a goofy smile, “Welcome back.”

“Thanks.” She set her plates on the table and decided to start with the pie. 

“Goin’ backwards, huh?” Sans eyed the pie on the plate. “Something on your mind?”

She took a big bite and nodded, “I wasn’t made for this fancy stuff, I need my pie.” She managed to say past the food in her mouth. 

Sans laughed and took the fork from her, stealing a bite for himself, “Toriel makes pretty great pies, I can’t blame ya there.” He glanced away then got up from his seat. “I’m up, I guess.”

“You’re going to do great. When you’re done, how about you and I go outside for a bit? Get some air?”

He gave her a gentle peck on her head, “Sounds good.” He took a deep breath and made his way over to Toriel. 

The lights dimmed and Sans made his way up onto the stage. He waved at everyone as Toriel handed him a microphone, “Hey, thanks Tori.” He chuckled. “How’re we doin’ tonight, Fluffybuns?”

“Having a wonderful evening, my friend!” Asgore laughed excitedly.

“Good, it’s your birthday after all. Though I will admit, I almost forgot, but how can you expect me to remember when you haven’t gotten any older over the years?” He chuckled.

The audience laughed and Sans shrugged, “I mean, when someone asks me my age I just tell them “I’m old enough to know better, but young enough to do it again”.”

Ryou could see Sans practically glowing with happiness, he wasn’t fond of the stage but jokes were his way of expressing himself and it showed. “Of course, I’m not calling you old, Asgore, just saying you’re not very young either. Your older than me, and I’m a sack of bones, logic speaks for itself!”

Asgore was howling with laughter, as was the crowd of people Sans was entertaining. Ryou had never seen Nova do such a thing, in fact, Nova shied away from the stage after something happened in Hotland. She never found out what, but she was starting to see the difference between the two Sans’s and it was showing more and more the longer she stayed in this timeline.  
She couldn’t deny that a small part of her still loved Nova, but when he blamed her for not saving Papyrus, she ended things between them. He had thrown it in her face, gotten drunk and argued with her, there wasn’t a peaceful moment passed between them in…a very long time…

This Sans was different, he was gentle and silly, lazy but still made an effort to try. Even growing up Nova and her had a rocky start. He didn’t trust the half of her that was human, he couldn’t find it in himself to try, nor wanted to. He loved her, that much was clear, but a huge part of what messed him up was the humans. Their presence in the underground caused a lot of suffering, Nova killed when he had to, spared when it was necessary, and watched innocent people get hurt because he thought he could trust them. By the time her tiny self showed up, his idea of humans was warped negatively. 

There were the times she wished she was human like her mother and times she wished she was all monster like her father, whoever he was. She was just doomed to stay in a corner of her own, away from the two halves of herself that made her whole. Humans could not accept her because of her monster blood, and monsters feared her for her human blood. But here…here, she wasn’t feared or hated. She was loved by everyone she met, no fear, no anger, just peace. 

And that idea twisted a fear in her heart stronger than any other. This timeline, the alpha timeline, was in danger of facing the same end as her own. She wanted to save them, wanted to continue this accepted existence…wanted to be loved again, and she would fight to the death if it meant saving their lives. 

A flash of purple caught her gaze once more and she looked over to see that monster again, casually skulking in the corner. She frowned, this was too weird for her, she had to know who that monster was. She got up from her seat and advanced them. She kept seeing them and their presence made her soul shake. What the hell kind of trickery were they using? Black smoke? No monster she’d ever met could do such a thing, and the fact that they kept catching her attention like a damn virus had her on edge…

She got within five feet of them, “Hey, when a lady asks your name, usually you give it to them.” She gave them a smile, but her eyes were narrowed. 

They jumped at little at her voice, startled to see her glaring at them. They inched away from her. She took a step towards them, “Who are you?” She hissed. 

There was a pause, then Ryou felt a force push her. She gasped as her feet left the ground and she was thrown back. She landed against something soft and looked back to see Sans looking past her, his eye flashing between blue and yellow light as he glared at the monster, hands in their pockets and standing casually across from them. 

“You okay?” Sans helped her to her feet. She wobbled but she nodded. He held her close to him protectively. “I don’t believe we’ve met, bud.” Sans growled.

The monster stood still while startled monsters backed away from the scene. They shook their head almost angrily then pointed at Sans. The monster was angry, that much Ryou could tell, but why? Sans pulled her behind him and advanced the monster, “Who the hell are you? I’ve never seen you before, buddy, and I know EVERYONE in the Underground. I’d also like you to apologize to the lady behind me, because if you don’t.” The room got darker and the energy between them intensified. “Y O U ‘ R E G U N N A H A V E A B A D T I M E.”

The monster’s shoulders shook with what looked like laughter and they shrugged before removing their glasses, revealing the hollow sockets behind them. Their eye was glowing with a neon purple light, matching the same intensity as Sans. But what caught both Sans and Ryou off guard, was the scars on their face. Black lines…

“No…you’re not Gaster, you’re too short.” Sans hissed. “What the hell are you?”

The monster raised his hand and an array of bones popped out of the ground. Sans countered, shattering the bones with a swift move of his hand, throwing a few bones of his own at the monster. Ryou could only watch the two as they fought, why weren’t the other’s intervening? She looked over to see everyone was frozen in place with looks of shock on their faces. 

“You’re pretty good.” Sans huffed as he dodged the bones with ease. “What’s your beef, huh? You dance with my girl and suddenly it’s okay to push her around?” The two clashed, both holding a bone against the other as they glared at one another. 

“…You don’t understand.” They hissed behind the mask. 

Sans grinned, “So you CAN talk. Good, now start explaining!” Sans shoved them back and took a crack at their head, catching them off guard for a moment, smacking the mask off their face. They looked up at Sans for only a second before disappearing into a puff of smoke. It only took that second to have Sans shaking in horror. 

“Sans!” Ryou called out and rushed to his side. “Are you okay?”

“I…I think I need to sit down.” He was sweating and shaking hard. “T…Their face it…it was…”

“Sans?”

He turned to look at her, his eyes wide with terror, “It was me.”


	11. Soul Bonding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This chapter contains not so safe for work content!
> 
>  
> 
> Hey so sorry for the late chapter guys! I had a slight issue writing this chapter, but oh boy, I'm getting into some serious stuff soon and needed some fluff in my life...AND i sorta havent had power at my house for 2 days due to a rain storm that blew out our transformer box. Too much is happening at once lol
> 
> Enjoy ;3c

Toriel managed to calm the confused crowd while Ryou brought Sans to a secluded family room where she sat him down. He pulled her to him and hugged her tightly, “Are you alright?”

“Me?” She took his face in her hands. “What about you? That asshole tore up your clothes and…” She grit her teeth. “I don’t understand what you meant, Sans…what did you mean when you said it was you?”

He looked away from her, “When I knocked that sucker’s mask off their face…it was identical to mine, just with Gaster’s scars.”

“You said that name before, right? The…one that was lost in that accident?”

He nodded and ran a hand over his face, “I’m trying to wrap my head around it but it’s not making any sense. I’m me…so…who the hell was that?”

Ryou felt something sinking in the pit of her stomach, “I don’t know, Sans…for now, I think you should just take a moment to relax.”

He leaned back and looked at her, then touched her stomach, “Did he hurt you?”

Her skin turned a light shade of pink and she shook her head vigorously, “N-Not at all, they used magic to push me back.”

Sans frowned, “Take off the dress.”

Ryou let out a confused giggle, “What?”

Sans turned a deep shade of cobalt before sputtering, “That’s not what I meant-I…well I mean, I guess that’s what I meant but not f-for the reason you’re thinking.” He groaned loudly. “Just…take it off so I can make sure he didn’t hurt you.”

Ryou took a step back from him, “Already trying to undress me, you’re so lewd Sans.”

“You know damn well that’s not what I meant.” He grumbled at her. 

She sighed, “Alright, if it’ll help ease your mind about all that, help me unzip this dress.”

“Uh…w-wait, you want me to?”

“You’re the only one in here to help me, aren’t you?” 

He got up from the chair and slowly came up behind her, “Okay sure…” He brushed her hair to the side, exposing her neck and the back of her dress. He shakily grabbed the fabric then used his free hand to grab the zipper and slowly began to pull it down. He felt his breathing speed up and his soul begin to thrum loudly in his chest as more and more of her skin exposed itself to him. He gulped as it ended just at the small of her back. He pulled his hands away quickly as though the dress had somehow burned him. 

“Got it?” She asked. 

“Y-Yeah.”

She pulled the front of the dress down to expose her stomach as she held an arm over her chest to cover herself before she turned, “So?” He just stared at her. “Is…it bad?”

He wanted to speak but the words weren’t coming out. She was fine, a little red just above her navel, but otherwise she looked exposed…and… “Ryou uh…you can um…you can put it back on. You’re fine.” He averted his eyes but he could feel his body and magic reacting to her exposed skin. 

She pulled the front of her dress back into place then turned, “Can you zip me back up?”

He looked at her back once more and a shiver ran up his spine. Why was this suddenly so intimate? It wasn’t like he didn’t see her body in that bikini at the lake, but there was something erotic about unzipping her dress and seeing the soft skin underneath, exposing her body at his own pace…

He took the zipper in his hand and tried to zip it up quickly…only to have the zipper snap in his haste. He let out a shaky breath, “Uh…oh…”

“What did you do?” She asked turning her head to glance back at him.

He held up the broken zipper for her to see and she turned back around and cupped a hand to her mouth. He put a hand to his head, “I think I pulled a little too hard…”

“Oh Sans…” She burst into giggles. “Oh no, now what do I do? I can’t go back out there anymore.”

“I’m sorry, I think I got a little too flustered.”

“Flustered? Why? It’s just my back, Sans.” She snickered. 

His cheekbones darkened again and he pouted, “I can’t help that I found it a little erotic.”

She flushed, her eyes hiding behind her bangs again as she clutched at the fabric of her dress, “You did?”

“I was literally undressing you. I may be a bag of bones but I’m still a male and I have my particular tastes...”

She was red down to her shoulders and fidgeted uncomfortably, “I…didn’t think about that. I’m sorry Sans.”

He chuckled, “What are you apologizing for? Any guy in my position would’ve been…at least a little excited undressing their girlfriend in a secluded room alone.” 

She walked up to him and hugged him tightly, “This is your fault, you know…”

He wrapped his arms around her, letting his hands settle on her exposed back, “Yeah, yeah…I know…I was just trying to make sure you were okay. That guy sporting my face used magic to throw you away. If I caught you a second too late you would’ve knocked into one of the pillars.”

“Maybe they were counting on you catching me?”

He shrugged, nuzzling his face against her bare shoulder, “Possibly. I’ll give that asshole a piece of my mind if I get my hands on him again. I got so protective of you that I forgot I was on stage and was immediately on guard.” He trailed his hands down her back, then slowly back up. “We’ve been dating for a week and I’m already like this…heh…”

She hummed against him, the contact of his hands, the oddly soft feeling of his fingers against her skin, it sent goosebumps flaring up her sides and down her arms. He seemed to notice, “Cold?”

Her arms tightened a little around him, “No…my skin is a little ticklish and you touching me so lightly gave me goosebumps.” She giggled and pulled back to look at him. “Is my face all red?”

He pressed his forehead to hers, locking his eyes on hers, “Nah, more like a rosy pink, but I’m not complaining. Pink is more you.” She smiled shyly at him, sending his soul into a frenzy against his ribs. 

“We said happy birthday to Asgore already, right?”

He gave her a puzzled look, “Well yeah, why?”

She put her hand to his cheekbone, feeling the warmth of his magic against her palm, “Take me home?” She murmured in a shaky voice. 

He smirked a little at her, “I wasn’t expecting to take you to the bone zone so soon.”

She bumped her forehead into his, making them both wince, “As appealing as that sounds, if someone walks into the room and see’s my dress the way it is they might get the wrong idea. I need to go change.”

He laughed softly, “Sure, hang on tight.”  
She wrapped her arms around him and felt the world shift as they moved through his shortcut. When they appeared in Sans’s room she felt the fabric of her dress slip from her and hit the floor. She gasped and hugged Sans tighter, “Oh crap!”

Sans felt every bone in his body burning, her chest was being squeezed against his ribs so hard he could almost feel her pulse. “I’ll close my eyes and y-you can run and change.” Ryou couldn’t hear him, she was too busy staring down at the faint glow in his pants to hear anything other than the faint rushing of blood in her ears. “I uh…can leave the room too…”

This was new. She reached her hand down to touch it but he caught her wrist, a little too aggressively. She looked up and could see the deep look he was giving her, “Sans?”

“Don’t…” He begged softly. “I don’t think you’re ready for that.”

Her face slowly turned to a hot red as she realized what she almost did, “Oh golly, I-I’m sorry.”

He chuckled, “Just hurry and get dressed while I cool down…”

She hesitated, glancing at her wrist still clutched tightly in his hand. She pulled a little but he wasn’t letting go. She felt her legs shaking, “Sans, I need my arm back…”

He softened his grip but still held tight, “Right…”

She glanced at her arm then at him, “I uh…don’t suppose you’re going to let me go, are you?”

“I’m very reluctant to.” He admitted, nuzzling his face in her shoulder once more.

She sighed and hugged him tightly, “I guess it can’t be helped then.” 

He gathered her into his arms and kissed her shoulder, “Heh…I hope you can forgive my lack of jokes for the rest of the evening. I want you to know I take everything we do seriously…even if I sometimes don’t always act like it. Like this for instance.” He picked her up and tossed her onto the bed, chuckling when she yelped in the process of landing on a soft mattress. He yawned as he crawled in beside her and pulled her against him. 

“S-Sans!” She protested but he just chuckled. She huffed and looked up at him. “You’re mean…”

“I can be, but I’m not trying at the moment.” He caressed her cheek. 

She avoided his gaze, “So…what are you planning, “bone daddy”?” She teased, but her voice was uneasy. 

He snorted, “Cute.”

She shrugged, “I try.”

“You stole that line from me.” He laughed then nuzzled his face against her neck. 

She giggled, “That tickles.” Her giggles caught in her throat as a warm tongue swept over her throat and a startled gasp escaped her. 

“Sorry.” He grazed his teeth against her skin and she squeaked out what sounded like a moan and a shriek mixed together. He pulled back, starry eyed. “What was that?”

She put her hands over her face, “I don’t know! You’re making me make weird noises!”

“Do it again, that was adorable.” He begged softly, going for her neck again. 

“S-Sans, you’re being mean!” She whined, squirming in his arms. 

“But it was cute!” He laughed softly. 

She glared and reached down to grab at the glow in his pants and was startled when a breathy moan escaped him. He tightened his arms around her, “I didn’t expect that…”

The feeling under her fingertips was warm and hard, not completely solid but sturdy. She gulped, “I always wondered how skeletons do things…” She admitted shyly. 

He pulled back and looked into her eyes, “That’s an oddly specific thing to wonder.” He pulled her in and kissed her. “Good to know. I’m curious about you too.” He rolled until he was settled on top of her. “So, let’s just get to the point.”

She was shaking but somehow calmer than before. Seeing the serious yet gentle look on his face eased her mind, “Should we be doing this?” She murmured softly. 

“I don’t know, to be honest.” He admitted. “But like I said before, I’m feeling things I’ve never felt before.”

She gave him a warm smile, “Shouldn’t we at least go on a date first?” She laughed. 

“I mean…if you want to wait, I’m not going to force you into anything. I just want you to know that I lo…” He paused, staring down at her before he realized what he was saying. “I love you…” It came out just above a whisper. 

She stared up at him and her eyes welled with tears, “Sans…” She put her hands over her face. “You’re going to make me cry, you dork…” 

He took one of her hands and kissed her palm, “Sorry, it’s new to me too…”

She smiled and wiped her eyes, “I love you too, Sans.”

He bent his head down and caught her lips once more. She grazed her fingers along his spine and he shivered, losing himself in the moment as she moved her hands to his shirt and began to slowly unbutton it, taking her time popping it open to expose his ribs. She grazed her nails over the exposed bone, they were softer and less dense than human bones, and obviously very sensitive. He groaned against her lips, a sound that sent a wave of butterflies into her stomach and made her toes curl. She felt dizzy and hyper aware of everything around her, the heat from his body, the cold of the room…

He broke their heated kiss to focus on her chest. He ducked his head and let his tongue slither out over her nipple. She moaned softly, her eyes locked on him with uncertainty as his hand glided over her stomach, his touch feather light as he made his way to her hips and he grabbed at her black panties. Her eyes widened when he literally tore them off her and threw them somewhere in the darkened room. His fingers didn’t hesitate to delve between her legs, he seemed eager to please her. 

“Sans that’s-!” She cried out as his fingers began to gently glide over her clit with precision. She arched her back, the sudden rush of pleasure was almost too much for her to handle. 

“Am I hurting you?” He asked, his voice coated in lust as he continued rubbing her most sensitive spot. She shook her head and he grinned. “I was worried for a second, the noises you make sometimes confuse me.”

She rolled her hips with his hand, she was struggling to control herself while he brought her closer and closer to the edge. Then he suddenly stopped. She opened her eyes to watch him lean back and unbuckle his pants, “If you want me to stop, just say so, alright..?” When he managed the buckle loose Ryou wanted him pull his member from his pants, the low glow illuminating the darkness between them. Ryou was intimidated by him for a moment as he leaned over her once more, using his fingers to test her, delving them inside her for a moment before bringing them back out and positioning himself above her. 

She wanted to hide under her blankets, she felt so exposed and awkward, so vulnerable to Sans that she felt both terrified and excited. He leaned down to kiss her as he guided himself to her entrance, trying to be as slow and careful as possible as to not hurt her. He waited for her signal, he didn’t want this to be ruined by his eagerness or hurt her in his excitement. She could feel the hum of his magic pressing against her entrance, the pressure of his cock against her sensitive flesh was almost too much. 

Sans felt his soul then; it was fluttering around in his chest, desperate to bond with hers, the primal instinct to bond souls the way monsters did was overwhelming. He pulled her soul from her chest and held it gently in his hand. He pulled his own from his ribs and held them in his hand. Her soul chimed and twinkled, the chirping song her soul made began to meld with his own deep tune, his soul singing to hers and hers singing back in response. 

“Your soul makes such a pretty sound…” He murmured and smiled down at her. Their souls danced around one another, as if accepting each other before pressing together and forming a hot white light. That’s when everything flooded in; emotions, physical feeling, determination…everything inside Ryou was inside him as well, swirling inside his being until he felt drunk and overwhelmed. He thrust into her and the pain and pleasure split between them. Ryou could feel him inside her, feel herself wrapped around him and her whole body wrapped in safety and warmth. It was overwhelming her senses.   
She didn’t know when he started but he was thrusting into her, her body controlled by the feeling of their joined bodies and souls. He could hear her cries of pleasure and his own moaning as an echo in both their minds. Everything was beginning to file slowly down to a point, the light getting brighter and their pleasure growing into a coil, winding up little by little until both couldn’t take it anymore. 

They wrapped around one another tightly; their shared orgasm forced stars to burst in their eyes and the world to go white. Everything was and wasn’t for a moment, they were two and now they were one, melded in a haze of conscious existence.  
Sans couldn’t hear anything but ringing in his skull for a moment before everything began to fade and his soul returned to his body. Ryou was shaking as he panted hard against her hair, holding her close to him. He’d never bonded souls with another monster before and was almost startled by how intense it had been. Sex was possible through the same method but bonding one’s soul to a mate was more intimate and sacred. 

He rolled onto his side, his bones rattling and trembling. He blinked away the haze to see Ryou’s eyes overflowing with tears. Startled, he pushed himself up on his knees and frantically looked her over, “Are you okay? I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

She looked up at him and she smiled, “I’m fine, I was just overwhelmed.” She blinked away the tears and sniffled. 

He sighed in relief and slumped back against his pillows, “Me too…”

“What did we just do? I’m familiar with how humans do things…many thanks to Alphys, but whatever we just did was…what do you even call that?” She turned to look at him, her eyes were heavy. 

“Soul bonding is normally not like that, but I guess my soul accepted you as a mate.” He chuckled. “Monster souls are really fickle and know what they want more than the body does. Your song seemed to appeal to mine.”

She blushed and hid behind her bangs, “We…had sex during, right?”

He chuckled and shrugged, “Feels like we did.”

“Feels like a blur.” She admitted with a soft laugh. She took his hand in hers and caressed the bones in his fingers. “I never imagined myself like this before…”

“Not even with ‘you know who’?” 

“Nope…I guess you’re my first for that too.” 

He pulled her hand up to kiss her fingers, “Somehow that makes me very happy.”

Scooting closer she wrapped an arm around his ribs and pressed her forehead to his sternum, “Did you mean it when you said you loved me?”

“You have to ask?” He ran his fingers through her hair gently. 

“Just checking.” She murmured against him, her body suddenly exhausted. “Sans..?”

He wrapped her up in his arms, his eyes closing and his body relaxing comfortably against the sheets, “Hmm..?”

“I love you…” 

He smiled and pecked her on the top of her head, “I love you too.”

There was silence between them for a moment before she whispered, “And I’m cold…”

He laughed as he lifted an exhausted arm and snapped his fingers, the blanket appearing above them before falling over their bodies and wrapping them in warmth. 

They began to doze off when the front door opened and footsteps could be heard.

“SANS? RYOU?” Papyrus’s voice came from downstairs and they both groaned. 

“Too tired…” Sans mumbled against her.

There were footsteps up the stairs and then a light knock on the door, “BROTHER? ARE YOU BOTH HERE?”

“Yeah, bro. She just needed some rest.” Sans yelled to the door. “We’re going to bed, do you need me to read you a bedtime story?”

“N-NO NEED BROTHER! I AM UM…STAYING WITH UNDYNE AND ALPHYS TONIGHT! I JUST CAME TO GET MY THINGS AND CHECK ON YOU BOTH! THE QUEEN WAS A BIT WORRIED WHEN YOU BOTH DISAPPEARED!”

“Sorry Paps, she had a bit of a dress malfunction after the attack and came home to change but she ended up falling asleep.” Sans looked down at Ryou who peaked sleepily up at him and smiled. 

“ALRIGHT. I’LL SEE YOU BOTH TOMORROW!” Papyrus said cheerfully before stomping down the hall. 

“You’re such a liar.” She teased as she snuggled into the blankets. 

“You want me to tell him the truth?” She pouted at him but shook her head. He grinned, “See? Better he doesn’t know everything.”

She nuzzled him, “Shush…sleep…” 

He snickered to himself but obliged, sinking deeper into the comforter as sleep took them both. He’d sleep in tomorrow, he needed it…


	12. Possessed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY! Questions are being answered! Things are settling into place!...Kinda
> 
> Those poor cinnabuns...lol
> 
> Hope you Enjoy!

Ryou was up a little earlier than expected so she let Sans sleep in. She needed to move around a little and get the blood flowing in her arms and legs. When she was dressed she quietly slipped out of the room and downstairs. She was hungry and decided to get a cinnabun from the corner store and go to the Librarby and browse their cookbooks. She would need a bit of a lead on new recipe’s soon, she was getting a little tired of pasta. 

She pulled on her faded hoodie and orange scarf, pulling it around her neck and tucking it. She would have to be quick if she wanted to get the cinnabuns home before they got cold, she wanted Sans to have something warm and sweet when he woke up. She felt her cheeks reddening as a few memories flooded back from the previous evening and she put her hands over her face and groaned softly. 

“Get it together, Ryou…” She mumbled to herself. “You don’t need to make it obvious to everyone…”

She opened the front door and gently closed it, gritting her teeth against the bitter cold morning. She listened and could hear the town’s usual cheerful commotion and could see down the path a few monsters passing one another to get home or to Grillby’s. Guess he put out his line of spiced hot chocolate already, something Muffet had fought with him over in the past due to the spices used. She sighed and began her ten-minute walk to the corner store. 

Monsters greeted her with smiles and waves, something she was starting to get used to now that she’d made herself at home in Snowdin. Some monsters were placing presents under the main square’s tree and adding a few more colorful decorations. She guessed it was just that time again to change things around town. 

A smaller monster ran up to her, it was Monster kid and they looked determined to get her attention, “H-Hey! You’re miss Ryou, right? Undyne said you lived here in Snowdin! Is it true you and her are going to train together? Is it true you’re like us kids and can’t control your magic?”

Ryou smiled, “Yeah, I just started to use it so I got sick. I’m a little slower than you guys because I’m half human.”

Monster Kid stared at her for a moment, “Half…human?”

She laughed and wrung her hands nervously, “Y-Yeah, it’s hard to explain.”

“You’re not like humans, you’re more monster! I can tell!” He gave her a confident smile. “A-And you’re being trained by the coolest monster in the underground! That makes you totally cool too!”

Ryou pat Monster Kid on his head, “Thanks, that’s very sweet of you to say.” She turned to leave. “I have some errands to run really quick, would you like a cinnabun? I’m buying a few to take home.”

Their eyes lit up, “R-Really? Awesome! Of course!”

Ryou motioned for them to follow and they walked to the store together. When she got inside she realized someone was walking behind Monster kid, a small brunette kid with a sheepish smile. Ryou raised a brow at her, “Frisk? Where’d you come from?”

“We were gunna go play house! The king and queen are at Grillby’s getting some kind of weird chocolate drink.” 

Ryou couldn’t help laughing a little, “Are they? They know too well that when Grillby puts out that spiced hot chocolate it goes by quickly. He even made a chocolate free version for the Dog Sentries.”

Frisk smiled happily and signed, ‘Can I have a cinnabun too?’

Ryou gave a loud sigh and grinned down at her, “Are you going to go on a sugar rush around town?”

‘You have to ask?’ Frisk gave her a knowing smile. 

“Just ONE. I don’t need your mother asking me about your behavior after eating two.” She giggled and walked up to the counter. “Can we have six cinnabuns?”

“Hey there! Was wonderin’ where you’ve been.” The bunny woman behind the counter gave Ryou an excited look. “Word around town is you and the comedian are a dating.”

Ryou felt her face burn, “Uh…yeah. How did you know?”

“Mettaton updated his status about it last night. Goodness, I never thought I’d see Sans fallin’ in love. It’s kinda sweet.”

Ryou could hear the two kids making gagging sounds and she narrowed her eyes at them with a look saying, ‘If you don’t behave, you’re not getting any sweets.’ She turned back to the woman and shrugged. 

“Well, let me get those cinnabun’s for you.” She giggled and went to get their sweets. 

The kids giggled amongst themselves, leaving Ryou a bit flustered. When the woman returned she handed Ryou a bag with their goodies in exchange for the gold in Ryou’s pocket. Ryou handed a cinnabun to each kid as they turned to leave. “Thanks! See you next time.” She waved to the bunny woman. 

“Take care, kids!”

When they got outside Ryou shivered, “Jeez, it’s cold out today.” She murmured to herself. Frisk began nibbling on their food and helped monster kid eat theirs while they walked. “You guys got anywhere to be? I’m sure Sans would love to see you.”

Frisk suddenly stopped walking, dropping their cinnabun and staring ahead. Ryou turned and cocked her head to the side, “Frisk? Are you alright, hun?” Frisk was staring past them, eyes wide. She was shaking violently as tears welled and spilled over down her cheeks. 

Ryou turned quickly and the blood in her body froze. Standing at the end of the road was a familiar green and yellow sweater, dusty with rust colored stains up their sleeves. Ryou barely had time to act, pushing the kids out of the way of the demon’s knife. “GET SANS!” Ryou shouted, shoving the kids behind her. 

Monsters began running for their houses in fear, giving Ryou a little breathing room, “Chara…”

“So good to see you again, halfbreed.” Their voice was like static and buzzed in Ryou’s ear’s painfully. “I knew that knockoff version of Sans sent you here. This was his favorite place, a true pacifist timeline…he thought you’d be safe here.”

“Whatever you’re planning, it won’t work, Chara. These monster’s are well aware of you and what you’re planning, they’ve all taken the necessary precautions. We are prepared this time.” Ryou growled.

They cackled loudly, “You think you know everything, it’s kind of cute. I didn’t kill those pathetic monsters you called a family just because I love to kill, you know.”

“Then why!” Ryou shrieked. 

They turned their knife in their hands, “You were waiting so patiently for me to arrive, I guess I can share the secret with you.” They jolted forward, getting into Ryou’s face before she could react. “I came all this way for you, the missing piece to making me whole again…a body made of flesh and magic…and a soul filled with power and determination all at once.” Their knife pierced Ryou’s chest, the point clipping Ryou’s soul. 

Pain shot through Ryou’s body but she couldn’t get air into her lungs to scream, she stared down at the wound as Chara began to push themselves inside her. It only took a moment before Chara’s corruption was wrapped around Ryou’s soul and the wound disappeared. She hit the ground and everything faded to black. 

 

Sans woke up to the loud sound of screaming and banging on the front door. He looked over to see Ryou was gone and shot out of bed, pulled on some shorts and his hoodie and ran for the door. The moment it opened he was toppled over with Frisk sobbing hysterically against his chest and Monster kid shaking beside her.

“Whoa, kiddo, what’s wrong?” Sans asked, placing his hand on her head to comfort her. 

Frisk pulled back and attempted to sign quickly, ‘CHARA!’

Sans’s eyes widened and fear gripped his soul tightly, “Where?”

She pointed out the door, her sobs loud and echoing in the house. Sans moved her, “Stay here, lock the door and hide in Papyrus’s room. Don’t come out until I say so, alright?” They nodded and scurried for the stairs. Sans turned and ran outside and looked down the path where Frisk’s frantic footprints came from. He snapped his finger’s and teleported to the middle of town and looked around until he caught a flash of red and blue. 

Ryou was shaking with a knife in her chest, Chara’s head turned and looked at him before disappearing inside her body. She went limp and hit the snow. “RYOU!” Sans cried out and ran to her. “No, fuck…no…!” He turned her over and saw that the wound was gone but her skin had gone pale. Her hand twitched, her fingers moving a bit as if grabbing for something. “R…Ryou?”

“Move you’re ass!” A voice yelled and Sans found himself being thrown from Ryou’s side forcefully by a flash of…purple?

He looked up and his eyes widened, “It’s you…”

“Don’t go near her, Chara possessed her body and if you don’t want to get dusted, I’d suggest you keep your distance.” The mystery monster pointed to Ryou who was pulling herself to her feet awkwardly. 

“But what about Ryou?” Sans asked frantically. “She’s-!”

“Look, if you want to save her, we have to damage her, get her health down enough to give Ryou’s soul a change to fight back. Chara, with what they did to our timeline…they’ve gained a whole lot of LV.”

Sans’s eyes widened, “Wait…”

“Not the time, Sans. I’ll explain things later but for right now just stay out of our way, we can’t have Chara destroying Snowdin.”

“We?”

The monster looked down at Sans and smirked before taking off towards Ryou, summoning a bone club and striking at her. She moved inhumanly fast and blocked him with a blade of bones. Her face was twisted with malice and her pupils glowed a menacing red, “Finally! I was so excited to see your new form!”

“You like it? It’s better than the one you tried to kill!” The monster used his other hand to summon a gaster blaster and let loose a blast at her. She countered with the black gaster blaster Ryou summoned once before, but it was bound in chains to Ryou’s body now and it’s magic was corrupted. The amount of energy used was incredible as they cancelled each other out. 

“This body is perfect! I never expected so much power!” Chara’s voice coming out of Ryou’s lips enraged Sans. He got up and used his magic to trap her soul, his eye glowing furiously and he could only grin at her. 

“Yeah, except it’s not yours, you brat!” He threw her back and into a tree then forced her into the snow. They coughed and laughed, looking at Sans with pure insane bliss. 

“That’s what I’ve missed about you, comedian. You never gave a damn but when it came to your family you got so serious!” She spit out blood and wiped her mouth. The monster let out a laugh and Chara glared at them. “What are you laughing at?”

“You’re not very smart. That body you’re occupying isn’t exactly high in magic. You just used more than enough to put her down for a while. Man, sorry kid, I apologize for the headache you’ll feel when this is over.” He rushed at Chara once more but was stopped by a wall of thorny vines. “And just when I thought things couldn’t get much better.” 

“Stupid trashbag! Do you understand how hard it was to travel between timelines? Thanks to you, Chara’s physical form was left to rot! But no matter, this body suits them so much better. Wouldn’t you agree, Sans?” Flowey grabbed Ryou and cackled loudly. “We will retreat for now, but we’ll take control of the timeline soon enough. You’ll see.”

“WAIT!” Sans shouted but they disappeared into the earth. Sans fell to his knees and slammed his fist into the ice. “Damn it…”

The monster whistled and shook their head, “Damn, I was betting on them taking the bait just a little longer.”

Sans aggressively grabbed the monster by the shirt and slammed him against the closest building, “Start talking. NOW. I don’t know who you really are, I don’t understand what the hell is truly going on, but my girlfriend just got possessed by my worst fucking nightmare and taken hostage to who knows where!” 

“Calm down, Sans.” The monster huffed, a little annoyed. “Let’s go back to your house and I’ll explain what I can.”

 

When they got in the door Sans was surprised to see Toriel and Asgore standing guard with the kids settled between them. Toriel jumped up, “Oh, Sans! Thank goodness, we were worried…” Her voice trailed off. “Where’s Ryou?”

Sans grit his teeth and looked away. Toriel put a hand to her mouth and tears flowed from her gentle eyes. Frisk began wailing loudly and Monster kid sniffled beside her. Asgore pulled Toriel to the kids and stood over the monster standing behind Sans, “You are the one who attacked Ryou at my birthday party.”

“I can explain everything, so let’s all just relax a bit and sit down.”

“Good.”

When everyone was seated, Sans had Frisk in his lap crying quietly against his hoodie while he hugged her. Monster Kid was sent home and asked to keep quiet about what happened. Asgore and Toriel sat patiently while the monster sat on one of the kitchen chairs and proceeded to pull a cigarette from their pocket and light it with their magic. Sans used his magic to pull it out of their mouth, opened the door, and tossed it out before slamming it. The monster shot him a look and Sans shrugged, “Don’t smoke in my house.”

They sighed, “I’ll start off with saying that part of me was once known as Nova. On his death bed he swore that if he had the chance to kill Chara and end the genocide forever, that he would give anything to do so. When he slipped into the void, soul cracking into pieces and dusting, he was saved by the one you call Gaster. He offered him a deal, if he could inhabit Nova’s body he would give him the power to end Chara and Flowey once and for all. I want nothing more than vengeance for the timelines they’ve ended. The agreement fused their souls and created me.”

“Gaster? He’s in there?” Sans felt his soul buzz in his ribs. 

“We decided to stay hidden for a while, but Nova became jealous of your relationship with Ryou and attempted to connect once more with a dance. I intervened afterwards, I apologize for Nova lashing out at you. Jealousy is an exhausting emotion.”

“Tell him if he touches Ryou again, I’ll tear his arms off.” Sans snapped. 

The monster chuckled, “Noted. By the way, Sans,” He leaned forward with a grin. “Have you ever wondered who her father is? Why she’s so much like us?”

Asgore looked at Toriel and she glanced at Sans. Sans glared, “Are you telling me…Ryou is Gaster’s kid?” His eyes widened. “That’s right…before the accident, Dings told me about Lily, the human he hid in the lab. When she became pregnant he forced her to leave the underground, helped her cross the barrier…” Sans put his hand to his head. “How could I have forgotten that? Lily took care of Papyrus and I when I started working in the lab.”

The monster nodded, “The accident took some of your memories as well as the power of your right eye.”

Sans shook his head, reluctant to remember. He changed the subject, “So, you’re the middle man, huh?” 

They nodded, “Just call me Nova, the name Gaster seems to give people a headache.” He nodded towards Toriel and Asgore who were rubbing their foreheads gently. 

“Okay, Nova…what do we do about Ryou?”

He shrugged, “Like I said, we just have to wait until we find her then weaken her enough to take control of her body once more. Simple.”

“Sure, if you don’t count the fact that the weed is with them. He’s crafty with those vines.”

Nova held up a hand, “Don’t worry about that. I’ve got a plan.”

“A plan?” Asgore’s gruff voice cut in. “And you speak the name Chara. You do not mean-“

“I’m afraid Chara’s spirit is vengeful and angry. They want nothing more than to hurt everyone around them.” Nova said as he folded his arms over his chest. “I’m still at a loss as to why.” He pulled another cigarette out of his pocket then remembered he couldn’t smoke in the house. He put it between his teeth but kept it unlit. 

“So, I guess you adopted Gaster’s smoking habit, huh?” Sans chuckled. 

Nova grinned, “They have a particular flavor that keeps us level headed.” He sighed and crossed his legs, sinking into the chair a bit further. “I haven’t been able to relax in so long. This chair feels like heaven.”

Toriel cleared her throat, “And about this plan of yours?”

“We get the strongest monsters together and have an all-out battle. With me on your side, you’ll be evenly matched.”

“That’s a vague plan, and not the be “that guy”, but you’re not much stronger than me.” Sans chuckled. 

Nova laughed, “We are a combined two souls. I don’t have the same limitations with magic that you do, I can do twice the damage you ever could.”

“Wanna test that?” Sans challenged, narrowing his eyes. 

“Boys, please.” Toriel snapped. “What’s important is Ryou is in danger. We will need time to prepare, for now. I shall have our guards out searching for her and have Alphys keep surveillance around the Underground.”

“This is a state of emergency and will not be taken lightly. I will ask Undyne and members of the royal guard to get everyone into the Imperial city while this is handled. I would ask that you two work together. I worry that if left unchecked, those two could end up being a danger to us all.” Asgore said as he rose to his feet.

“Nova and I can start evacuating people into the city. I’ll call Papyrus to have him meet us in Alphys’s lab. If anything, we’ll find her faster using Alphys’s cameras.”

Nova smirked, “Let’s get started then.”


	13. Miss me?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea how to think rn lol 
> 
> Enjoy <3

Nova lit up a smoke on the porch, things were in motion already. Toriel and Asgore left to the city, informing the guards on their way through about what was happening. He breathed out the smoke and sighed, he fucked up and he knew it. He was supposed to prevent this event and failed miserably, it wasn’t helping the fact he’d been listening to Gaster chew him out and Nova growling in his skull. He took another drag and exhaled the smoke into the frosty air. The door opened, and Sans walked out. He looked like a mess. 

“Let me ask you somethin’,” Sans said as he sat beside Nova on the front steps. “You were kinda vague in there about how you got to be…this. I want to know everything, from the moment you got caught up in the accident…” 

“You two were really close, huh?” Nova asked before taking a long drag. “Gaster remembers you fondly.” 

“He was like a second dad to Papyrus and I. Our old man was cut down by a scared human…the second human to fall. If that Sans is in there, I’m sure he must’ve gone through something similar.” Sans glanced at Nova. 

“It was their mother.” He murmured and absently placed a hand over his soul. “In their timeline, their father died shortly before Papyrus was born, leaving their mother in charge. The thing about the Gaster inside me is that he is from our timeline but retains memories from your timeline as well. Something to do with the accident causing interdimensional links to all versions of himself across the multiverse. He has memories across thousands of timelines and universes. Ryou is the only child he had and all the versions of himself feel a connection to her, though I’m sure none of them could explain why in a way that made sense.”

Sans attempted to process his words, “Well, I guess that explains a lot.” He relaxed a bit. “Guess you’re just a messed-up version of myself, huh?”

Nova snorted, “I guess you could say that I’m a kind of amalgamation of you and Gaster, though my consciousness is separate from theirs. I can remember everything in this Sans’s life, I can see Ryou as a child growing up into the woman she is now. And a lovely one, at that.” Nova grinned. “You and her bonded souls last night, right?”

Sans’s face turned cobalt and he glared, “That’s not something you just ask someone…then again, if Gaster is in there I’m not entirely surprised by that. How could you tell?”

“Your soul, it’s got a little hint of pink lingering on it. Happens when you make a true bond, it’s also a once in a lifetime thing. I’m a little jealous.” He took another drag before tossing the butt of the cigarette into the snow. He winced, “I’m going to be listening to them yell in my skull for a while, but hey, I’m happy for ya.”

Sans shifted uncomfortably, “Thanks?”

They watched as guards came through town and began helping people out of their homes and guiding them to the city. Nova spoke up then, “We’re sorry for what happened at the party. I was only supposed to spectate, but Nova got a little upset about seeing you two together.”

“And almost shoved her into a pillar.” 

“Yet you caught her, didn’t you? ‘Nova’s’ emotions are a little hard to control at times. He’s very passionate, his heart is in the right place, but he forgets our strength outmatches the monsters down here by leagues. You did get a pretty good swing on me at the end, I deserved it too.” He snickered, rubbing his jaw. 

Sans leaned back with a smug grin, “You had it comin’.” He shrugged then snickered. “Don’t you find it kinda weird to have both her ex and her dad sitting in the same place? Especially with how he treated her?”

“He’s trying to make up for what he did by protecting her…though I admit we’re doing a terrible job.” He shoved his hands in his jean pockets. “She’s going to be alright, she’s damn strong.”

“Yeah, she is.” Sans stared down at the floor. 

Nova cocked his head a bit at him, raising a boney brow, “PENNE for your thoughts?”

Sans laughed, “I’m thinkin we should SPAGHETTI outta here and meet Paps at Alphys’s lab.”

“We can wait, it’s just a fifteen-minute walk ORZO.” He shrugged with a cheeky grin. “Less if we take a shortcut.” 

Sans matched his grin, “I guess I’ll FARFALLE you, shouldn’t keep them waiting for us.”

“True, Papyrus hates tardiness. He gets mad FUSILLI reasons.” Nova got to his feet, offering Sans a hand. “Let’s go.”

Sans took his hand and they teleported to Hotland at Alphys’s front door. Sans looked around, “So why didn’t you just teleport us inside?”

“Isn’t that breaking and entering...? You know, minus the breaking?” Nova pointed out as he knocked on the door. 

Sans rolled his eyes, “We’re like family. Alphys knows to expect me to pop in for a visit at any time. Why do you think she likes to sleep at Undyne’s?” 

“Well I’m not…family.” He struggled a little to say. His eyes became distant as he looked up at the doors. “Kind of a bummer, I’m a pretty great guy.” He suddenly said with a forced smile. 

Sans knew that look anywhere, “Not true. Ryou’s your family, isn’t she? You’re the only family she has left from your timeline. Whether that means anything to you is up to you.” The doors opened, and Sans shrugged, walking inside. “Come on.” Nova stared after him for a moment before following, a violet hue overtaking his cheekbones. 

“BROTHER! WE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR-“ Papyrus yelled but stopped dead as he approached. “SANS? WHY ARE THERE TWO OF YOU?”

Sans shrugged, “This is Nova, he’s kinda a long story.” Sans looked back at Nova then flinched a bit. Nova’s eyes were wide and filled with tears. “Jeez, buddy, you okay...?” Sans asked cautiously. 

Nova walked up to Papyrus and put his hands on his face, “Papyrus…it’s…really you…” He pressed his forehead to Papyrus’s chest and hugged him. 

Papyrus stared down at Nova then at Sans questioningly; Sans just shrugged. Papyrus pat Nova’s back, “OF COURSE IT’S ME! I AM THE ONE AND ONLY GREAT PAPYRUS!”

Nova let his hands drop and stepped back, his face once again a mask with a forced smile, “It’s been so long since we’ve seen our Papyrus that I got a little overwhelmed. Sorry about that.” He chuckled and rubbed his skull awkwardly. 

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN ‘YOUR PAPYRUS’?” Papyrus questioned. 

“S-Sans? Who’s that next to you?” Alphys’s voice cut through the tension. She gasped, “W-Whoa! They l-look just like you!” She scurried over and looked him over. “W-Wow! He’s so rugged and awesome! What’s your n-name? Are you new here?”

“Name’s Nova, sweetheart.” He gave her a wink. 

“G-Golly, he’s like a super cool version of Sans.” Alphys giggled to herself. 

“I’m literally standing right here.” Sans grumbled. 

There was a sudden crash and Undyne appeared behind Papyrus with a spear in her hand, “Who the hell is flirting with my Alphys?” She yelled. 

Nova shrugged and chuckled nervously to himself as Alphys went to defuse the situation. Sans used the distraction to walk over to the monitors where camera feed was being passed through. He panned through a few shots, looking through them with precision and ended up with empty hands. He sighed to himself, “If I were an evil flower and psycho killer, where would I hide?”

“I have a hunch.” Nova said from behind Sans. “Just a hunch, but where would you most likely expect Chara to flee to?”

“I would say the ruins but they were sealed off…wait…” Sans panned the cameras to the door to the ruins and his eyes widened, “The doors are…”

Nova whistled, “Blew them right off the hinges too, LV is some powerful stuff.” He pulled a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it. “I mean, Chara IS buried there, right?”

“Yeah…” Sans folded his arms then looked to Nova disapprovingly. “You know, they say those things shorten your lifespan.”

“I’m already half dead and an amalgamate, Sans. I don’t think I could do anymore damage.”

Sans shrugged, “Fair enough.” 

“S-So? Have you guys found anything?” Alphys asked as she approached the computer. 

Nova pointed to the screen, “Yeah, looks like she’s in the ruins. I’d wager anything that’s where Chara and Flowey would be. Visiting your own grave, it’s almost poetic.” He said snidely. 

“Well what are we waiting for? Let’s get them!” Undyne shouted, raising her spear into the air. 

“If you’re looking to get yourself killed, be my guest.” Nova shrugged. “I’ll put this simply. Ryou is not a human being, she’s half monster, the daughter of a very powerful monster. She’s also half human, which means she’s got large amounts of DETERMINATION coursing around inside her body. She’s dangerous. To put it simply, Chara has her body and is manipulating her soul, if they wanted to, they could easily blow you away with one shot.”

Undyne rolled her eye, “Okay, so what the heck do you want us to do?”

“WE COULD TRY TALKING TO HER!”

Nova smiled, “I wish it were that simple, Paps. Ryou’s not the one in control.”

“So we have to defeat her in order to free her. If what Nova says is true then we’ll all have to be careful, but we do have an advantage.” Sans nodded towards Alphys. “Energy Disintegration.”

Alphys gasped, “B-But Sans, don’t you think it’s a little dangerous to put her at risk so soon after recovering? I-I mean, if she uses that much energy after her body h-has been weakened she could…”

“I don’t think the amount of magic she uses will be up to us. She’ll be attacking at every turn. I know Chara on a very personal level, that kid likes to make a fight as dramatic as possible.” Nova pointed out. He took a long drag before putting out his cigarette. “It’s a matter of if Ryou can gain control again. We have to coax her out.”

“BUT HURTING RYOU…IT FEELS WRONG. ISN’T THERE ANOTHER WAY?” Papyrus asked, wringing his hands anxiously. 

“Don’t worry, bro, if anything Chara will exhaust themselves before any real harm can come to Ryou. Remember, she’s new to magic. Though she is very powerful for a new magic user, she can’t handle large bursts of magical energy without succumbing to Energy Disintegration. It’s dangerous, but we don’t have a lot of choices here.” Sans put his hand on Papyrus’s arm. “Just remember, she’s got all of us to help.”

Papyrus’s worried expression dissipated and he smiled happily, “NYEH HEH HEH! OF COURSE! YOU’RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT! SHE HAS ALL OF US TO HELP HER THROUGH THIS!”

Everyone went quiet then Nova spoke up, “I guess we should get ready, this should be an interesting fight.”

 

Ryou found herself floating in a black void, the world was encased in darkness and pain was prickling her chest. She winced a bit as she looked down to see the bloody wound, it hurt, but no new blood emerged. She looked around the room for any sign of light or life but was left helplessly floundering in the darkness. 

“Your struggling is in vain, you know.” Chara’s voice cut through the silence. “It’s only a matter of time before everything repeats.”

“Do you enjoy killing your family, Chara?” Ryou asked, looking around the darkness warily. “Making people suffer? What drives you?”

There was loud giggling and then the darkness around her moved, twisting and morphing into a face before her, “I don’t need a reason for genocide anymore. I had a reason once, but that’s long behind me.”

“So you’re killing…just for fun?” Ryou asked angrily. “You killed everyone I love because it entertained you!?”

“And I’m about to do it all again.” They cackled loudly. “And I’m using you to do it! You’re awfully easy to get to, you know? That stupid skeleton had no idea you were our primary target. In all the timelines, in every universe…you’re the only half breed like you. Straight from Gaster himself.”

“Straight from…wait WHAT?!”

“Oops! I’ve said too much already, haven’t I? It won’t matter who or where or why anymore, because you are mine to control. Nobody’s foolish enough to save you. That other idiot with the scars knows the truth, it’ll be easier to just kill you. But we won’t let that happen, will we?”

Ryou sighed and shook her head, “Wow, do you ever stop talking?”

“I…what did you say?”

“I’m shaking in my boots, Chara, I really am, but something you just said made me realize you’re so much weaker than before. You’re convinced I’m yours but I haven’t even tried to push you out yet, have I? I haven’t given you anything.”

“Are you…serious right now? I’m literally INSIDE YOU, you idiot! How much more intimate could you possibly need me to be before you’re convinced you have no way to escape?”

Ryou shoved against Chara, the light of her soul illuminating in Chara’s void-like room. They hissed and she grinned, “I got my answers, now all I want is for you to get the hell out of my body and leave this timeline alone.”

Chara growled, “There’s not a chance I’m letting you go now that I have you here!”

“We’ll see about that, won’t we?” She shoved against Chara once more. 

“STOP THAT!” They hissed. 

“Uh…C-Chara? I hear footsteps in the ruins.” Flowey’s voice echoed inside Ryou’s ears. Chara looked up and grinned. 

“Looks like I was wrong. Looks like some idiot really did come to save you after all, huh?” Chara’s face disappeared and left Ryou in the darkness once more. Chara shook their head, regaining mobility in Ryou’s limbs as they looked to Flowey, “She’s stubborn, but watching people die by her own hands will break her.”

Flowey’s face twisted into a snide grin, “I can’t wait to watch them turn to dust again! I wonder who…” They paused and frowned. “That’s a lot more than one person.”

Chara raised a brow, “How many?”

“I don’t know, but we’ll dust them easy.” He cackled. “Here comes one now!”

From the darkness of the ruins came a figure, hands shoved in their pockets and a cigarette clenched between their teeth, “Heya.” They chuckled as they came into the light of the room, revealing themselves. Nova took a drag of his cigarette before tossing it and summoning a club into his hand. Sans and Papyrus appeared by his side, Undyne, Asgore, and Toriel followed behind, “You’ve been busy, huh?” A Sadistic grin appeared on his face. “Miss me?”


	14. Scars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Some fun surprises coming! 
> 
> Enjoy!~

Nova spared no time in attacking, the quicker he could land a hit on Chara, the faster this would be over, but as he suspected, they dodged him and used Flowey’s vines like a shield. Sans intervened, catching Chara off guard from behind, snapping his fingers and summoned several bones from the floor, tripping them. They recovered quickly enough to dodge Nova again. Sneering at him as they attacked back but missed Nova by a hair. The summoned a sword made of bone and steel, licking the blade before rushing at them once more.

“Keep your focus on Flowey! Sans and I will deal with Chara.” Nova shouted to the others, ducking from their attack, slipping under their legs and behind them and swiped at them with his club. He glared as they rushed forwards at Sans. 

“Think you’ll be able to take me on by yourselves? You’re either brave or stupid!” They grinned as they held the blade forward, letting it turn a crimson red with their determination and used it to cast projectiles of red knives at them. 

Sans dodged their attacks, bending back and moving quickly with his magic, “Come on, Chara, we’ve done this song and dance before.”

“I’m glad you remember the battles so fondly, comedian, but you haven’t seen the power I have now!” They drove their blade into the ground and the stone around their feet turned red. Nova summoned a gaster blaster and pulled Sans out of the way as knives sprang up from the ground. 

“That’s new.” Sans gulped. “Thanks.” 

Nova nodded, setting them down after the blades dissipated and went for them once more, swinging the club at them but missing each time, much to Nova’s dismay. He grunted as Chara kicked him away, sending him flying back into the stone wall. He moved just in time to avoid a barrage of knives flying at him into a stalagmite. Sans jumped in with his own attacks, raising the ground before grabbing her soul and throwing her into to the ground. 

Chara coughed and spit blood out of their mouth, “You’re all weak!”

Sans felt sweat beading on his skull, this Chara was different, they were so much more corrupted than the Chara he was used to. He grit his teeth and dodged again as they came flying at him with their blade, hysterical cackling filled the room as Chara swiped at Sans but thankfully missed; they only nicked his sweater but it was too close for comfort. 

“Now’s the time to pull out that power you were mentioning!” Sans yelled, taking steps back from Chara’s blade. 

Papyrus was using his bone attacks while Toriel and Asgore used their fire magic to fend off Flowey’s vines. Undyne and Papyrus tag-teamed, using what they learned fighting together in the past to hold off Flowey’s seemingly never-ending advances. 

“This is pointless! I don’t have the souls I need, Chara! I can’t fight them like this!” Flowey hissed as he took more fire damage. He narrowly escaped Undyne’s rain of spears only to fall into Papyrus’s bone trap. Flowey couldn’t move with the blue bones surrounding him so he attempted to escape but found blue bones trapping the soil beneath him. 

“C-Chara! Help!” Flowey shrieked as Undyne advanced him. 

Chara turned and went to rush for Flowey but Sans caught them with his magic as Nova’s eye flared violently with light. Seven Gaster blasters bearing the colors of the seven soul traits appeared around him. Chara froze and stared, “W-What the hell is that? You’re not the same Sans I fought before!”

Nova’s twisted grin widened as the blaster’s began sucking in energy, “No, I’m not, I’m so much more.”

Chara used their blade to break Sans’s concentration and going for Sans, “I’ll dust you like I dusted him!”

“Like hell you will!” Nova yelled, the color of his eye flaring in a variety of color as the blaster’s opened their mouths to release their power. 

Chara suddenly froze as a force pushed against them, “W-What?” They looked up in time to dodge the blast, the energy causing the cave to shake violently and rocks to fall from the opening above. Chara gripped their chest and growled, “Stop fighting me you stupid half breed!”

Ryou pushed against Chara, regaining control for a moment, “Get out!” She shouted, gripping her head in her hands. Chara pushed her back down violently. 

“Never! I’ve worked too hard for this!” Chara roared. 

Sans took no time in attacking, swinging a bone into Chara’s back, sending them flying into the wall. Ryou broke free again, “GET OUT OF MY BODY!” She shrieked. 

Chara hissed, trying desperately to hang onto her but their body began to overheat and become sluggish, “Why?! Why is my power failing? Why am I suddenly so exhausted?!” Chara growled, trying desperately to get to their feet. “WHY ARE YOU ALL NOT DEAD YET?!”

Sans pinned Chara, using his bones to pierce the fabric of her clothes to the wall. Chara struggled violently against them, snarling like a rabid dog and screaming angrily, “Let me go! I won’t lose! I-I won’t lose! I killed so many to get here! JUST LET ME WIN!”

“Chara! Hold on, I’ll-!” Flowey shouted but was cut off when Chara screeched. 

“I don’t need the help of a useless weed!” Their furious scream apparently frightened Flowey as he curled back a bit like a stricken puppy, eyes wide. 

“If you don’t release Ryou in five seconds, I’ll kill Flowey, I mean it.” Sans threatened. 

Chara laughed, “Go ahead and kill him! Killer’s like us wouldn’t hesitate to kill each other if we got in each other’s way, and as I see it, Flowey’s become a liability. Do it.” Chara’s eyes were crazed and red, but their expression changed to pain once again and they let out a shriek, “Stop fighting me you stupid girl!”

Ryou felt the pulse of her own magic and let it surround her, she pushed against Chara with all her strength, “Get the hell out of my body!” Ryou summoned a blaster and aimed it at herself. 

“W-Whoa, what the hell are you doing?!” Sans yelled frantically. 

“Damn you!” Chara screeched before pulling themselves from Ryou’s body in time to flee, scurrying into the ruins with an echoing scream of frustration. 

Ryou felt herself being pulled back to consciousness but as she did, a pain hit her, right in the spot Chara had stabbed her earlier. She tried to take in a breath but nothing came as the bones holding her to the wall disappeared and she slipped to the floor. Sans had his arms around her in seconds, “That was an incredible bluff, I’m surprised you-“ Ryou slumped against him and Sans could see red pooling around her legs. “Ryou?” He pulled back and realized the front of his shirt was soaked through and she was steadily bleeding out from her chest. 

“Sans! She okay?” Nova called as he made his way over. 

Sans pulled Ryou to him and pressed his hand over the wound, he was hyperventilating, “Oh god no…no…” Blood was seeping through his fingers. He turned to Nova desperately, “Get Alphys!” 

Nova took one look at Ryou and was gone in an instant, rushing to grab Alphys. Papyrus and Undyne watched in horror as Sans pulled himself to his feet with Ryou in his arms, “Toriel! I need…help me…!” He was sobbing, he couldn’t help the pain in his soul as he held Ryou’s dying form in his hands. “Help…” He wobbled and fell to his knees, his body was shaking too hard to move. 

Toriel was at his side, tearing her sleeve off and holding it to the wound, “What happened?”

Sans just shook his head, he couldn’t find his voice. Nova appeared with a red-faced Alphys in his arms. When he set her down she rushed over with a bag against her side, “L-Let me see the wound. Nova, you s-should take Sans over there so I can work without distractions.” She pointed to the adjacent wall.

Nova helped move Ryou into Toriel’s arms and helped Sans to his feet, “I got ya, buddy.” Nova assured him and helped him sit against the wall. Sans could only stare at the blood on his shirt as Nova lit another smoke and put his face in his hand. He grunted and slammed his fist into the wall, causing the rocks to crumble under the pressure and left an indent in the stone. “This wasn’t supposed to happen…”

Sans leaned his head back against the stone, nauseated by the smell of blood, “I swear I can’t keep that girl out of trouble for more than a week…” He laughed to himself but his laughter turned to tears and he pulled his arm over his eyes. 

Asgore approached them and sat with them, “Ryou is a strong girl, Sans. She will pull through.”

Nova slipped to the ground and took a long drag and wiped his own eyes, “I’m so pissed I can hardly see straight. I knew that fucking kid was up to something when I found them in Snowdin, I knew and I didn’t get to them in time…this is just like our timeline all over again.”

“Do not blame yourself Nova. You both tried very hard to save Ryou, and I am proud of you both for your efforts.” He pat both Skeletons on the head. 

After an hour of waiting Alphys sat back and took a deep breath, “I-I’ve stabilized her and closed the wound, but she’s n-not out of the woods yet. She needs rest and a steady supply of healing magic every f-few hours. Sans, you bonded with Ryou, r-right?”

Sans groaned but was too relieved to be embarrassed, “What do you need me to do?”

Alphys blushed and cleared her throat, “A-Anyway, it’s possible for you to share your magic with her to h-help her heal faster!”

“I’ll do it if you’re not able, I have more magic than you, remember?” Nova offered, a devious gleam in his eyes.

“I’ll kill you.” Sans growled under his breath then cleared his throat. “No, she needs me specifically.” He got up and wobbled a bit, forcing himself to walk over to them. 

Nova just grinned after him, “Sure thing buddy.” He took a drag of his cigarette and exhaled with a shrug. 

Papyrus walked over to Nova nervously and sat down, “KING ASGORE, WOULD YOU MIND WATCHING FLOWEY WITH UNDYNE? I NEED A MOMENT TO…RELAX, IF THAT IS ALRIGHT?”

“Of course Papyrus.” Asgore said, moving so Papyrus could sit down with Nova and made his way to Undyne. 

Papyrus sat beside Nova and looked down at him, “YOU ARE VERY STONG FOR A SANS.”

Nova flinched a bit, “Yeah…I get that a lot.”

“YOU MENTIONED YOUR BROTHER, YOUR PAPYRUS. WAS HE LIKE ME?”

Nova’s gaze fell and his eyes darkened, “Yeah, he was the best brother I could’ve ever asked for. He was strong and vocal, like you…I took him for granted until he was taken from me. I…I never thought I could miss one person so much. And after losing him I lost myself, I felt like the only part of my life worth living for was gone…that’s how ‘Nova’ explains it. Me? I’m…not them, but in a way, Papyrus is my brother too. I feel what Gaster and ‘Nova’ feel, I share their memories…and their pain.”

Papyrus pulled Nova to his side, “THEN FROM NOW ON, YOU ARE MY NEW BROTHER! I SHALL TAKE CARE OF YOU THE SAME WAY I CARE FOR SANS!”

Nova looked at Papyrus, his eyes suddenly filled with tears, “You want to be my brother?”

Papyrus smiled happily, “BUT OF COURSE!”

There was a pause before Nova hugged Papyrus, “Thanks bro.” He attempted to hide his tears but he was so happy he couldn’t contain himself. 

“AS LONG AS YOU DON’T SMOKE IN THE HOUSE.” Papyrus warned. 

Nova pulled back with a laugh, “Deal.”

Sans put his hands over the wound and began to use what was left of his magic, pushing healing magic into Ryou’s body. He was exhausted but he forced himself to continue until the wound closed and a faint scar formed. When he finished he collapsed against Toriel who caught him and gave him a warm smile, “Very good, Sans.”

He gave her a weak thumbs up, “I need a shower…” He wanted to gag, the scent of blood was overwhelming. 

Toriel picked up Sans and looked to Asgore, “What do we do with Flowey?”

Nova got up and helped Papyrus to his feet, “I’ll take care of the weed, you guys head on home and get some rest.”

Papyrus gasped, “NOVA! YOU’RE BLEEDING!”

Nova looked down to see there was a small spot of blood under his jacket and he chuckled, “It’s alright, Papyrus, I’m fine. Chara must’ve clipped me earlier, it doesn’t hurt-“

“NONSENSE! I SHALL STAY AND HEAL YOU, NEW BROTHER!” Papyrus announced. 

Nova put his hands up, “I-I’m alright Paps, honestly-”

“IT’S NO TORUBLE AT ALL FOR THE GREAT PAPYRUS!”

He rubbed the back of his skull and shrugged, “Alright then, I guess it’ll be fine.”

Asgore took Sans from Toriel so she could pick up Ryou, “We will get these two home and head back to the city. I’ll be having the guards on the lookout for Chara, but I don’t believe they will bother us again for a while.”

Nova waved, “Sounds good.”

 

Sans woke up as Asgore placed him on the couch and set Ryou beside him, “Oh, when did we get home?”

“Just a moment ago, Toriel and I have to discuss some things with the monsters in the city for now, will you two be alright here?”

“We’ll be fine, I’ll call if anything changes.” Sans mumbled and went to rub his eyes and realized he still had blood caked to his bones. 

“Well, go have a shower and relax. I will take my leave.” Asgore gave Sans a gentle smile before heading out. 

Sans took a moment to look between himself and Ryou, “Hope you won’t mind me giving us a shower and washing all this blood off.” He managed to pull himself up and pulled Ryou into his arms. She felt heavier and he grimaced. “I must be weaker than I realized.”

He pulled them both into the bathroom and undressed himself before undressing her and wrapping her in a towel. When she was leaned against him he started the shower, sat back on the floor, and he just let the water wash everything away. He opened the towel to let the water wash over the blood caked to her skin, using his hands to gently scrub it away. His hand landed on the scar that was now settled on her chest and he traced it, his vision blurring a little. He curled himself around her protectively and let himself quietly cry against her. The pain of his old wounds surfaced and throbbed in his soul. 

“If I get my hands on you again, Chara…I swear to you, there is no place on this earth you can run to that I won’t find you. And when I do…” His eye began glowing furiously and the room dimmed. “I’ll tear you apart, no holding back this time.” He turned to Ryou and caressed her cheek. “I’ve lost too much, I can’t afford not to care anymore.”

When he finished washing away the blood, though struggled to wash Ryou with her practically being a limp noodle, he got them out and dried them off. He pulled her to his room and slipped on some sweatpants and a black tank-top and dressed Ryou in one of his white T-shirts and some shorts, and he was officially dead tired. He wrapped Ryou in a blanket and flopped onto the bed beside her, face buried into his pillow. He wouldn’t complain if he could sleep for the next month. It took less than two minutes to pass out, snoring softly into the quiet of the room. 

 

Nova had Flowey in a flower pot, effectively limiting his space and rendering his vine attacks completely useless, so he sent Papyrus home early. Inside this pot, he was just a flower with a terrified yet defiant glare. He set Flowey down on the table in Alphys’s lab and grinned down at him, “Look at that, I finally caught one of you.” Flowey hissed at him but Nova waved him off, “You’re Asirel, right? Toriel and Asgore’s kid?”

Flowey’s eyes widened, “How…how do you know that?” Their voice shook warily. 

“I know a lot about you Flowey.” Nova gave him a grin and took one of Flowey’s petals in his fingers. “I know about your resets,” He tore one of Flowey’s petals off, causing the flower to cry out in pain. “Your fixation and your genocide,” He pulled out another. 

“S-STOP! I’LL TALK!” Flowey begged. 

Nova let out a dry laugh, “I know you will, weed.” He took another petal. “But hearing your screams of anguish, after the pain you cause us…” He ripped the petal out violently. “I won’t deny that I’m enjoying it, if only just a little.”

Flowey cowered away from Nova’s hand, “P-Please! I-I was only following Chara-!”

“That so?” He gripped a petal and began pulling it out agonizingly slowly. “You killed my little brother by attaching yourself to him and working him LIKE A PUPPET. You pushed his soul in the way of my attack…” He ripped out another petal. “Was that in Chara’s plan? To break me down? To take everything away from me?!” He slammed his hand on the table, startling the terrified plant. 

“Chara only wanted Ryou! T-That’s it! B-But when they realized you were all in the way they forced me to help them!” Flowey sobbed out. 

“And now Chara has abandoned you, how funny.” Nova grabbed one of Alphys’s chairs and leaned back, pulling out a cigarette. 

Flowey glared, “How did you get so strong anyway? Did you absorb a human soul?”

“Heh, Chara knew the truth but it seems they left you out of the loop. Nova fused themselves with Gaster in the void. Gaster got to be free and Nova got more power than he knew what to do with. Unfortunately, their combination birthed me. I stuck with the name Nova to keep up appearances, but I am neither of them.” He leaned forward. “I have more power than you ever had with six human souls, and then some.”

Flowey trembled, “N-No…that’s not Possible! Gaster wasn’t that strong!”

“You know that for a fact, huh? Funny, he thought the same exact thing, until he and hundreds of Gasters from the various timelines fused with him. I have the power of One Thousand Monster’s inside my soul.” He grinned and leaned back “Does that sum it up for you? You and Chara are small fry compared to what I’m capable of now.”

“What are you going to do to me?” Flowey asked, shaking in terror. 

“I’m going to keep you as a pet, a little reminder of what got me here in the first place.” Nova’s face twisted into a sneer. “How does that sound?”

“You’re insane!” Flowey shrieked. “I lost my soul! I can’t understand-!”

He took a long drag of his cigarette before blowing the smoke at Flowey, “Soulless or not, you will atone for your sins in one way or another.” He held his hand out to Flowey and began healing him, his petals growing back and the pain disappearing. “But I’ll remind you, the next time you cross me, take a moment to remember the pain. Capiche?” Flowey nodded, completely defeated. “Great, guess we can go home now.” He picked up Flowey and snapped his fingers, teleporting to the Brother’s house. 

He entered and yawned, “Sweet, time to relax!” He placed Flowey on the coffee table and flopped onto the couch, sighing in content. “Been so long since I’ve gotten any sleep! Guess I’ll take a nap.” He snapped his fingers and a glass bowl appeared over Flowey. 

“H-Hey! What is this?!” Flowey shouted angrily but it was muffled by the glass. 

“That, my small and annoying pet, is a lid. I need sleep, you irritate me, so just sit under there for a while; photosynthesize or whatever it is you do, it’s up to you.” Nova gave out a loud yawn before turning over onto his side and falling asleep almost instantly. He hadn’t had a moment to relax in a very long time. 

“Damn you smiley trashbag! I can’t sleep like this!” Flowey protested. “I know you can hear me!” When there was no response Flowey curled up against the dirt and scowled at Nova’s back. He fell asleep shortly after.


	15. Limbo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Thanks for dropping by, I'm sure everyone's heard of what's going on with Tumblr lately, some of my artwork was flagged, can't really figure out why, but hey, whatever. 
> 
> I've been writing this chapter on and off, changing a few things and bringing a few things in lol
> 
> Hope you enjoy :p

The push and pull of the darkness surrounding Ryou made her feel a bit nauseated as she came to. When she opened her eyes, she was looking up at a sliver of sunlight pouring in from the cave mouth. She felt like death, her body ached all over and she could taste blood in her mouth. Sitting up she wiped her mouth and sniffled, blood had clotted in her sinuses and she involuntarily gagged, spitting the caked blood out and onto the flowers beneath her. She had been beaten severely before being thrown down into the mountain, and she could still feel the stinging pain all over.  
Getting to her feet she made her way into the cave, pink irises darting around the darkness until a light came into view. When she entered the room, she found herself face to face with two monsters. A short skeleton and a very tall goat woman. They turned to her and the goat woman gasped loudly, making the skeleton turn as well.

“Oh, my goodness! You poor child!” They rushed over and scooped her up, cuddling her to her fur. Ryou, a bit terrified, began wailing loudly against the monster’s soft white fur. 

“Toriel, isn’t that a human?” The skeleton’s voice was low and dangerous, a look of distrust was spread across his face. “Would it be wise to just pick it up?”

The goat woman smoothed Ryou’s fluffy curls back, gently trying to look her over, “She’s hurt very badly, Sans. I wouldn’t turn away from an injured child.” She turned and began to walk deeper into the cave, Sans on her heels. 

“I’m just saying, what if they are like the last kid that fell?” He pointed out as they walked. 

Ryou clung to Toriel and looked up at her, eyes filled with wonder. Toriel slowed and smiled, “She’s not human, Sans, she’s a monster, like us.”

“I-I’m half human…” Ryou murmured, looking at Sans warily, curling closer to Toriel. 

Sans looked closer at her, “Oh yeah, those eyes ain’t human, but if that’s the case, and she IS only half human, where he heck did she come from? And where’s her parents?” Ryou buried her face into Toriel’s fur and began to cry again. Sans leaned back and sighed, rubbing his skull awkwardly, “Lost your parent’s too, huh?” He gave Toriel a look before shrugging. “I’ll check up on ya, later, Tori. I should get home.”

Toriel smiled at him, “Of course, my friend. I’ll see you again tomorrow, yes?”

“Yeah, same time tomorrow.” He pulled up his hood and teleported away. 

 

“Heh, just call me Nova, kid. Easier to remember. Pretty cool name, right?” He gave Ryou a grin. 

She tilted her head and smiled happily, “Nova!” 

“That’s my name kid, don’t wear it out.” He gave her a wink as they sat down at the dinner table. Papyrus brought out a plate of spaghetti for everyone. Ryou ate it happily.

 

“You’re growing like a weed, kid.” Nova snickered. “But like it or not, you’ll always be shorter than me.” 

“N-Not true! Just you wait! I’ll grow up into a beautiful lady and then-!” She gave him a triumphant grin. “You can marry me!”

Nova blushed and let out a laugh, “Sure kid, but wait until you’re older. You’re eight, you have a long way to go.” 

She puffed out her cheek, “Just you wait!”

 

Ryou sat, watching memories float by her head as she sat amongst the darkness of her mind. The day she lost her first tooth, her first day learning about magic, the tears she spilled when she couldn’t conjure a single spark…

She placed her hand on a memory and the words flowed through, “I’m not waiting anymore!” Nova shouted angrily at her. “They killed my brother! They killed your family, I’m not waiting around anymore!”

“Nova-“ She reached up to touch his shoulder. 

He smacked her hand away, “If you had just…if you…” He growled in frustration and turned to the door, storming out. Ryou just stood in shock. 

 

Ryou sighed at the memory, when she caught up to him he was rushing her back to the house and bleeding from the chest. Chara was hot on their trail and Nova was suddenly desperate to get her to safety. “Why am I here?” She murmured and looked around. “I just want to move on already, damn it…”

Suddenly, a light appeared before her. A button…? [CONTINUE]

“Wait…isn’t this…Frisk’s thing?” Ryou raised her hand over the button but hesitated. “What will happen if I…?” She looked around, worried about where she could possibly be. 

“Aren’t you going to press it?” A voice asked from the darkness. 

Turning Ryou could see…a shadow? She looked at the button curiously again, “What happens if I do?”

“You continue your life, continue on with the existence you chose. Is that not something you wish to have? You have people waiting for your return from this realm.”

“How did I even get here? Where is…here?” Ryou looked around the darkness and suddenly it turned very bright. She was staring at blank figure, just an outline with a gentle voice, everything was white now. 

“This is my world, it is known as the void. You don’t belong here but after Chara pulled away from your soul, you jumped between life and death so much that you ended up here. I guess you could say it’s like limbo.”

“Well that’s a terrifying thought.” She admitted, looking back at the button. “What’s your name?”

They smiled, “Call me Core.”

“Okay uh…Core.” She looked around at her memories floating around her. “So, what’s up with my memories flying about here? Is that normal?”

“It is when you’re here, though others cannot see your memories, only their own.” They gestured to the white space around them. 

Ryou looked around, “Uh…who?”

They suddenly laughed, “Ah…that’s right, I had forgotten you cannot see them because you are still linked to life. I assure you, there are other beings here, beings that withstood pain and suffering in their own timelines and universes. A lot of ‘Sans’s’ are here due to countless genocide timelines, there are Frisks, Chara’s, Papyrus’s…many of those you may know.”

“Is Nova here? Is he…is he here?” She asked, hope stirring in her chest.

They gave her a solemn look, “I’m afraid not.”

She nodded and looked at the memories once more, “I shouldn’t linger here, I belong back in Snowdin with Sans and Papyrus.”

“Indeed, if you wish to leave, you have only to press that button. Do be careful, there’s more than just Chara to be wary of.” They said and the world around her faded to black again, leaving her alone with the button beside her. 

She looked at it and stretched out her hand, she hesitated but eventually placed her hand over it and she was engulfed in a warm feeling accompanied by a flash of golden light. 

 

Ryou woke up feeling groggy and light headed, her limbs felt stiff and sore, and her chest felt tighter than usual. She stirred out of the dark slumber she’d been in and blinked away her blurry vision until she could make out everything around her. She felt like hell, but it was bearable, unlike how she’d been when she had used magic before. She reached up and touched her chest and could feel a line where a scar had formed. It took her a considerable amount of energy to move but managed to pull herself into the sitting position. Looking around the room she realized everything in the room was spotless again. Had Sans cleaned while she was out? She stretched and sighed as her joints slipped into place with a satisfying crack. 

The door to Sans’s room opened and then suddenly the clatter of glass shattering on the floor. Ryou looked up and saw Sans standing in the doorway, hands trembling as he stared across the room at her. She gave him a tiny wave and gestured to the mess of spaghetti on the floor, “I know you’re kinda clumsy but it’s not like you to drop a whole plate of pasta.” 

Like a lightning bolt he was at her side and hugging her tightly, “Am I dreaming? Are you awake?”

“You’re hugging a little too tight, honey.” She managed out, tapping his arm with her hand in surrender. 

He pulled away and brushed her hair out of her face, “How do you feel?”

“Really sore and groggy but I’m fine, being possessed isn’t ideal.” She shrugged at him. She was pulled into another tight hug and realized he was shaking. “Are you alright?”

“I thought you weren’t ever going to wake up.” He whispered against her hair. “We all thought…” He shook his head. 

Ryou pulled back, “What are you talking about?”

Sans sat back and stared at her with worry, “You’ve been asleep for two weeks. I’ve been taking care of you.”

“TWO WEEKS?!” How…was that possible?!

“Chara damaged more than just your body, they clipped your soul. You were on death’s doors by the time we got to you.”

“Right...” She hugged Sans tightly. “Oh, by the way, was that monster there with you? You know, the asshole that started a fight at Asgore’s party? I remember seeing flashes of them when I managed to regain control but it wasn’t for long.”

Sans stiffened, “Well, he’s uh…-“

“Hey, Sans, it’s kinda cold outside, can’t I smoke inside with the window…open…?” Nova peered into the room and froze, his unlit cigarette fell out of his teeth to the floor. 

Ryou looked up at him and her eyes widened, her breath hitching in her throat. They stared at one another for an uncomfortable length of time until Ryou got up from the bed and took a step toward him, “Nova?”

He recovered and gave her a tiny smile, “Yeah…”

Fury flashed in her eyes. Using all her strength she grabbed a pillow and rushed at him, “YOU JERK!” She yelled and tackled him into the hallway. Nova hit the floor with a thud as Ryou jumped on top of him and began to beat him with the pillow, yelling profanities at him. “You son of a bitch! I’ve been sitting here for weeks grieving for you and you’re alive?!” She roared. 

Nova put his hands up to avoid her assault, “I’m sorry-!”

“You’re sorry?! Don’t apologize to me, you asshole! I don’t want your stupid apologies! I thought you were dead! I thought…!” She began slowing down, her body still weak from loss of magic. Tears began streaming down her face. “I thought I lost you…bonehead…!” She couldn’t speak anymore past her tears, feebly bringing the pillow down before collapsing against his chest and sobbing loudly against him. 

Nova looked at Sans and Sans shrugged at him in response, folding his arms. Nova wrapped her into a tight hug, “I know, baby girl…we put you through a lot and I can’t apologize enough to you for it…”

It took a few minutes but they calmed her down. Sans wrapped her in a blanket and sat her on the couch. He then turned to Nova, “I think now’s the time to tell her everything, Nova. She deserves to know the truth.” He beside her and was a little surprised when she leaned against him instead of Nova, not that he was complaining. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head while she continued to wipe her eyes and sniffle. 

Nova went to pull a cigarette out of his pocket but forced his hand down, “When you left, I dusted…well, most of me, anyway. My soul ended up in the void, the abyss of darkness monsters see before total death. I called out for help, to protect you and the timeline you were sent to and…Gaster answered me. In exchange for incredible power, Gaster would inhabit my body, become part of my soul. I didn’t hesitate, but it was overwhelming at first…” He rubbed his arm. “I’m not the same Nova you remember, either. They live within me, they…are me, but I’m neither of them. I took the name Nova because it would be the most familiar to you.”

“Chara said…that Gaster is my father.” Ryou admitted. “I don’t fully understand, but if that’s true then…it explains a lot.”

Nova rubbed his neck nervously, “I apologized to Sans, but I need to apologize to you for what happened at the Party. I sometimes can’t control ‘Nova’, he can sometimes influence my emotions and make me act irrationally, like asking you to dance, then attacking you and Sans out of Jealousy. But it’s no excuse.”

“No, but I forgive you, both of you.” She gave him a smile. 

Sans rested his chin on her head, “Good, glad that’s cleared up. But you neglected the part that it’s not just one Gaster in there.”

“How many Gaster’s are there?” Ryou shifted and leaned on Sans while laying her legs over Nova.

Nova pat her leg affectionately, “Nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-eight souls merged with Gaster, then Nova…a total of one thousand souls are now a permanent part of me.” He pulled his soul from his chest and both Ryou and Sans leaned forward to look at it. It was shattered but held together by millions of diamond-like strings, color bouncing off each shard to form somewhat of a rainbow, but in the middle of his soul was a black shard. 

“What’s that black piece?” Ryou wondered aloud. 

Nova’s eyes darkened, “It’s hatred. It’s a dangerous part of my soul that I can’t get rid of. Because of what Chara and Flowey did, this is now a permanent mark on my soul.” He relaxed and shrugged. “But now I’ve reduced Flowey to nothing more than a harmless shit talking flower and you sent Chara scampering into hiding. Honestly, I couldn’t be happier.”

Ryou felt Sans lean on her and she looked back to see he’d fallen asleep, “Gosh, he hasn’t passed out like that in a while.”

“Well he hasn’t slept much, he’s been waking up every three hours to share healing magic with you. He exhausted himself pretty badly the other day and Papyrus forced him to eat three plates of spaghetti before forcing him to sleep.” He grinned and sighed, patting her leg. “He loves you a lot, Ryou. And I understand you feel the same about him, I just want you to know we’re happy for you, kid.”

She felt like she was going to cry again, “Both of you keep making sappy comments that tug my heart strings too hard, you trying to make me cry?” She laughed. 

Nova ruffled her hair and sat back against the couch, “Nah, wouldn’t dream of it.” He yawned. 

She twiddled her thumbs, thinking of what to say now, “So what happens now?”

“We’re currently trying to locate Chara, no luck yet. Thankfully when they left your body, they became somewhat weaker. I can’t really describe it, but it was like their intent to kill was fading away.”

Ryou couldn’t help rolling her eyes, “That’s a bit of a stretch, don’t you think?”

He shrugged, “I think you scared the hell out of them is all, obviously they aren’t used to prey fighting back. Which is odd, considering their last fight with ‘Nova’…” He winced and put his hand over his chest. “I can remember the pain of their blade sometimes, the memories are a little fuzzy.”

Ryou’s eyes darkened and she took his hand in hers and squeezed, “I’d never felt so scared before. I watched them cut you down, Nova, and I’ve never been able to see blood the same since.”

He put his hands over hers, “I’m never letting that happen ever again, Ryou. I’ll stop Chara, stomp out their evil forever and maybe then we can all be free. I’d like to see the surface, I know Papyrus did…” He gave her hands a tiny squeeze. “I know you do too.”

“You always did like the stars, Nova.” She giggled softly. “You’re still a dork as always.”

He laughed softly, “I got that from both of them.”

“You also picked up some of their bad habits.” She said folding her arms. 

He feigned a surprised gasp, “Whatever are you implying?” He scoffed a little then sighed and shrugged. “The herbal cigarettes keep me level headed and calm. Along with memories I have their emotions and dealing with two emotionally attached figures in one body is sometimes a bit overwhelming.” He admitted with a huff before wincing. “And there they go again, you make a joke and immediately ‘Nova’s’ growling in my ear.”

She laughed, “Sounds like him.”

Nova let her hands go and shoved his own hands in his pockets, “Listen…just take it easy for a while, get your strength back, maybe get an exam with Alphys when you can.”

“Why would I need an exam?” 

He looked at her for a long moment then looked away, “Things are happening pretty quickly here, don’t you think? It wouldn’t hurt to make sure your body and soul are healed properly.”

Ryou eyed him, “You’re speaking really cryptically and it’s starting to freak me out.”

He shrugged and grinned at her, “Heh, don’t worry about it.”

There was a long pause before she picked up a couch pillow and smacked him with it gently, “Bonehead.”

“Short stack.” He chuckled as she stuck out her tongue at him. 

“Don’t you dare start with the short jokes, you know I’m not that short anymore.”

He laughed, “Got me there, but you know I can appreciate the little things. I gave you a hug earlier, didn’t I?” He smirked and she smacked him with the pillow again. “I think I’m just overlooking the situation, but you seem to be a little short on good humor right now.” 

She just frowned and folded her arms, “Proud of yourself?”

He snorted, “Yeah, as a matter of fact I am.”

“I guess I never did end up taller than you, huh?” 

His eyes widened. He turned away a bit and his cheekbones burned violet, “Heh…I guess not. But that’s okay, Ryou, you’re a little taller than Sans.” 

She felt Sans’s arms around her tighten a bit and she leaned into him, “Not by much, but I love him all the same.”

Nova gave her a proud smile, “Heh, you’ve really grown, you know that? You’re not really the scared kid we found in ruins anymore. You’re all grown up.” He wiped away a fake tear and laughed when she smacked him with the pillow again. 

“COULD YOU BOTH SHUT UP?!” Came an annoyed yell from the kitchen. 

Ryou jumped a bit in surprise, knocking her head into Sans’s chin and making them both groan, “Sorry, Sans!” Ryou apologized as she rubbed her head. 

“Not your fault babe, the weed’s been in a sour mood since Nova brought him here.” Sans grumbled as he rubbed his jaw. 

“You mentioned you made Flowey into a pet..?” She asked, turning her attention back to Nova.

Nova grinned, “Yeah, he’s like an annoying dog that likes to bite people and steal souls, except he’s rooted to a flower pot and can’t do shit.”

That explained a few things. “Can I see him?”

“I’M NOT A SIDESHOW!” Flowey hissed loudly from the kitchen. 

Nova shrugged, “Help yourself.” He leaned back on the couch and yawned loudly. “I need a nap.”

She rolled her eyes, “You’re also just as lazy as before.” She mumbled, flicking his forehead as she passed to go to the kitchen. 

When she got to the kitchen she was surprised when she found Flowey settled on the kitchen table in a flower pot. He looked pitiful, “That’s a good look for you, Flowey.” Flowey glared at her but didn’t respond, which was surprising. “You always have something witty and crippling to say, it’s a bit strange having you so quiet.” She sat down and watched him. “I never realized it, but your kinda cute.”

Flowey shot her a ‘What the fuck’ look before scoffing, “Me? Cute? Sure!” His face twisted into a devilish sneer. “I’d show you just how cute I could be if I wasn’t in such a ridiculous position.”

Ryou grinned and scratched under his chin, “Aww, you’re so grumpy.”

He attempted to bite her but looked to the doorway and gulped, leaning into her hand in fear. Ryou looked to the doorway and found Nova watching Flowey intently. Ryou pet Flowey’s head, “Are you afraid of Nova?”

Flowey looked at Nova and shrank behind her hand to avoid his gaze. Ryou frowned, “Nova, you’re scaring him.”

“What can I say? I’m a scary guy.” He chuckled. “But I can’t trust Flowey by himself, so I’m babysitting the rabid flower.”

Ryou pat Flowey’s head once more, and weirdly, Flowey leaned into her touch. She smiled, “It’s okay, we won’t hurt you, Flowey.”

“I understand you idiots, it’s HIM I’m afraid of.” He whispered against her hand, his leaves shaking a little. 

“Alright then, I think that’s enough play time. You still need to recover, Ryou. Eat something and watch some TV.” Nova gave her a sunny smile, waiting for her to move.

Ryou looked at Flowey, “Behave and you’ll be okay.” She got up and made her way back to the kitchen, but she stopped and looked at Nova, then returned to her spot on the couch with Sans. She curled up against him and used her magic to turn on the TV. She grinned at Sans as he chuckled at her lazy action. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and closed his eyes again. 

Ryou could hear Nova mumbling something before he returned to the couch and settled on the other side, letting her legs rest over his own before pulling his hood over his eyes and passing out. Deciding it was best, she would see Alphys tomorrow. She didn’t feel too bad other than a little nauseating feeling resting in the pit of her stomach.


	16. Second Soul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
> 
> Sorry for the wait guys, I've been really sick. Winter is the worst for me...but here you go :3  
>  Enjoy!

Ryou woke up to the sound of small footsteps over the carpet towards the bed. She sat up and heard quiet crying coming from the foot of the bed, and could barely see the outline of a small child standing there. Ryou’s heart rate spiked and she slowly began to reach for the light switch. Whatever it was noticed her and spoke in a very scared and teary voice, “Mommy, I had a bad dream.”

Faster than thought possible, Ryou bolted for the light switch and suddenly the room was bathed in light. Nothing was there. The figure was gone. She looked around the room quickly, her eyes looking for whatever it was that spoke. Around the furniture, under the bed, in the closet…nothing. She wrapped her arms around herself and looked around warily before turning the light back off and climbing back into bed. 

She was getting settled on her side, curled up against Sans’s back when from behind her she heard the crying once more, directly behind her. She felt the hair raise on her arms as goosebumps spread over her skin. She turned to see a flash of blue and…

Ryou sat up suddenly, gasping. She’d been dreaming? Sans stirred beside her and mumbled out, “You ok?” She looked at him, her expression must’ve worried him because a moment later he was sat up and had his arms around her, “You have a nightmare? You’re really pale.”

“I…don’t know. I think it was a nightmare, but it wasn’t scary, just startling.” She admitted before smiling at him. 

He pulled her back to lay with him, cuddling her to him, “I’ll chase away those bad dreams.” He murmured into her hair. He waved his hand over her head and said a little louder, “Bad dreams disappear!” Then gave her a kiss on her forehead. She looked up at him in wonder as he chuckled. “So? Did my magic spell work?”

She snorted before bursting into a fit of laughter, “Yeah, yeah it did.”

He grinned at her and brushed her hair out of her face. Her laughter died down into small shy giggles, “How did I get so lucky, hmm?” He wondered aloud as he caressed her cheek. 

She flushed and put her hand against his, “Stop it, you’re making me blush…”

He gazed at her, his eye glowed a dim blue and he smiled lovingly at her, brushing his thumb against her lips. “I haven’t had a dull moment with you here. Even if the barrier never disappears, I’d never complain again as long as I have you.”

She felt her eyes water and spill over, her chest swelling with love, “I love you Sans, who knew you were hiding such a romantic in there?” She poked his chest then wiped her eyes. “You’re always saying such nice things about me…but your forgetting yourself.”

He shrugged a bit, “I know how great I am.”

Resting her head against his chest she took a deep breath before saying, “I was dreaming about some kid crying in our room…”

“A kid? Like Frisk?”

“No uh…they called me mommy.”

That got his attention, he pulled back and looked at her carefully, “I’m sorry, can you repeat that?”

She pouted at him, “Were you listening?”

“Yeah, just…say that again?”

“The child crying at the foot of our bed called me mommy. I got freaked out and turned on the lights but there wasn’t anybody there.”

There was silence in the room until Sans groaned and turned onto his back, “You have weird dreams.” 

“Sure do.” She agreed and curled back under the comforter. “I usually do. I mean, that’s probably not as weird as the dream I had about visiting the Void.”

Sans suddenly sat up, “The Void? When was this?”

“Right before waking from that two week coma. I was trapped in darkness with nothing by bubbles filled with my memories inside. Then a voice spoke to me and told me where I was…they called themselves Core. They said I was welcome to stay, but was free to go…it was so weird, I was able to use the control buttons like Frisk can. I was able to hit [CONTINUE] and come back here…”

“Your human half is the only thing that saved you. Core doesn’t let people into the void unless they are dead or put there like Gaster was, they help monsters who have died cross into the afterlife…there’s a place for monsters like myself to go during a genocide timeline. I’ve been to the void only once and for a very short period. Frisk reset and made me a promise that it would be the last and has done nothing but try to make up for what they did…though I still can’t trust Frisk fully, they proved true to their word.” Sans curled back against his pillows and yawned. 

“So…it wasn’t a dream?” Ryou asked, confused. 

He pulled her to him and kissed her hair, “Listen, we can talk about it later, alright? We need to sleep.” Sans kept his arms wrapped around Ryou a little tighter than before as they both drifted slowly back into slumber. 

 

Nova sat at the kitchen table, watching Flowey for a long moment before saying, “So, you wanna play a game or something?”

Flowey flinched at his voice and scowled at him, “No, just leave me alone…”

Nova yawned and shrugged, “Your loss buddy. Guess I’ll have a smoke before bed.” He got up and grinned. “You’ll be good while I’m gone, pet?”

“Don’t call me that!” Flowey hissed. 

“I think I’ll pick up a collar for you, it’ll make it more fitting.”

“I’m not a dog, jackass!” 

Nova smirked, “Nah, you’re Asriel, son of the King and Queen…” He leaned in. “You’re not a dog, but you’re not a goat monster anymore either, you’re a flower.” His grin widened. “So that would make you a-“

“NOOOOO!” Flowey screeched. 

“A Son-flower.” 

“I hate you.” Flowey hissed and curled up in his flower pot. 

Nova shrugged, “The feeling’s mutual.” He popped a cigarette into his mouth and headed out the door to the porch and lit up. He touched his chest and pulled his soul forward, looking at the haphazard shards and the shimmering threads that held them together. He took a drag and watched as the blackness forming around the middle shards receded back inside the singular black shard. He sighed as relief flooded him. 

‘You’ve been very good about not letting it spread, Nova. I’m impressed.’ Gaster’s voice cut through the silence of his mind.

Nova scowled, “I know the consequences if I don’t keep an eye on it, so I’m smoking these cigarettes every few hours like you told me to. They’re not too bad, but they make me tired at times.”

‘Well the amount of magic inside you right now is dangerous. Narco root in small dose’s will lessen the burden and help your soul fight off the corruption. Just be sure to get more before you run out.’

“So why can’t I just eat the narco root?”

‘Because it’s not only disgusting, but in large doses it could suppress your magic too much and potentially unhinge the threads holding your soul together.’ ‘Nova’s’ said before Gaster could speak. 

‘Indeed.’

“So I’ll have to make a trip to Waterfall soon, I’m on my last pack.” Nova groaned and rubbed his skull. “I’ll just go tomorrow.”

‘That would be wise.’

Nova took a long drag and sighed, “So, are you sure about what you saw, Gaster?”

‘About?’

Nova chuckled, “About what you told me, about Ryou. I didn’t see what you did.”

‘Indeed. While she slept I noticed the whisper of a second soul inside her body. Though I could not see it, I could feel its presence.’

“I mean, it can’t be Chara, they left into hiding after their failure. Alphys might be able to help, right?”

‘We will have to wait and see, won’t we?’ ‘Nova’ chuckled. 

There was silence for a long moment before Nova finished his cigarette and headed inside, then froze as he heard a familiar voice in the kitchen. He walked in calmly and found Flowey talking to Papyrus, who was still in his pajamas, “Yo.” Nova yawned and took a seat beside Papyrus. 

“GOOD MORNING, NOVA! YOU’RE UP RATHER EARLY.”

Nova shrugged, “Heh, I just needed a smoke before I headed back to sleep.”

Papyrus pat Nova’s head, “YOU DO NOT HAVE TO LIE TO ME, I’VE COME TO REALIZE YOU DO NOT SLEEP AS MUCH AS YOU SHOULD.”

That made Nova blush, “I guess nothing get’s past my brother, huh?”

Papyrus’s face lit up, “WELL OF COURSE! IF I KNOW ANYONE, IT’S A SANS.”

“You’re so cool, bro.” He gave Papyrus a large smile and turned back to Flowey. “So, what were you both talking about?”

“I’VE BEEN TEACHING FLOWEY ALL ABOUT MERCY! IT IS A VERY IMPORTANT ASPECT OF BEING A MONSTER! IT’S ALL IN THE SOUL!”

Nova glanced at Papyrus then back at Flowey, “Uh huh, sure is. Only thing about Flowey is he has no soul. He can’t feel mercy or happiness like we can.”

“THAT SOUNDS LIKE A VERY SAD EXISTANCE!”

“I’m still here, you know!” Flowey hissed loudly. 

Nova then realized, “Wait…why are you awake, Papyrus?”

“O-OH! UM…NOTHING, REALLY, I JUST NEEDED TO GET MY MIND OFF A FEW THINGS.”

“Oh? Like?”

He struggled for a moment to find the words, “Well…” He said, his voice quieter. “Mettaton has been talking to me about moving in with him recently. He wants to make our relationship public but I’ve been reluctant about it. What if he becomes hated because of me?”

Nova’s eyes widened, “Whoa, that’s a big step, bud. And nobody would hate Mettaton because of you, and if they do, I’ll take care of them for you. If Mettaton makes you happy, I’ll support ya.”

Papyrus pulled Nova into a hug, squeezing him gently, “Thank you. I know Sans is still having a tough time with it, but he’ll come around. I just know it.”

Nova was released and set back in his chair, “I’m sure.”

Flowey glared around the table before sighing, “I’m sure things will…work out for you.”

 

Ryou went to hotland the next morning and knocked on the lab doors, Sans agreed to meet her in an hour so Nova dropped her off. She was fanning herself as she waited until Alphys opened the doors and gasped, “R-Ryou! You’re okay!”

She smiled awkwardly, “I uh…yeah, I woke up the other night. I was wondering if you could give me a physical exam? Make sure I’m okay?”

She nodded, “Of c-course! Come in.” She led Ryou into the lab and closed the doors. “Follow me.”

Alphys led her into the true lab, having gotten the place cleaned up since Frisk’s arrival, it was brighter and much more open than before, especially since the amalgamates all went home to their families. Ryou looked around curiously then stopped when Alphys turned into a white room. There was a bed and some equipment against the walls. Alphys motioned for her to take a seat, so she sat on the bed; the springs making a slight metallic scraping noise as she put her full weight against them. 

“I’ll run some tests and analyze them for you. J-Just relax!” Alphys gave her a smile and began poking and prodding her with all kinds of tools, taking a few samples. When she was finished, almost half an hour later, Alphys left to go analyze the samples. “Should just take a few m-minutes!”

Ryou waved her off and relaxed against the bed. She yawned and closed her eyes, only for them to fly open when a hand touched her leg. She sat up with a gasp, only to scowl at Sans who was giggling to himself for scaring her, “You scared the heck out of me, Sans.”

He stifled his laughter and held up his hands, “Wasn’t my intention.” He leaned back against the bed. “So? You healthy?”

“I don’t know yet, but Alphys is looking at my samples.” She shrugged and relaxed against him, leaning against his side and putting her head on his. “You’re early.”

He blushed and shrugged, “I was just eager to be next to you so I sorta rushed.”

“It’s alright, Sans, it’s not like I’m dying or anything. I feel fine.” She laughed and kissed his head. “But it’s sweet that you wanted to be next to me so badly.”

He turned his head and pressed a kiss to her lips, “Not as sweet as you.”

“Stop.” She laughed and hid behind her bangs, her cheeks turning pink. 

They linked their hands and smiled affectionately at one another, “I love you.” Sans whispered into the silence of the room. 

“I love you too, Sans.” She whispered back then giggled. “Why are we whispering?”

“I don’t know.” He admitted with a laugh.

She couldn’t help rolling her eyes, “You’re so silly.”

They sat in silence for a while, then Sans spoke up, “Those samples couldn’t be taking this long to process, not with the equipment that’s down here. I wonder what’s up?”

“She might be taking notes?” Ryou suggested but they both knew that wasn’t the case. 

They waited a few minutes more before the door finally opened and Alphys walked in, “O-Oh! Sans, you’re here. U-Um, would you mind waiting upstairs? I have a f-few personal things to share with her…” Alphys rubbed the back of her neck. 

Sans shrugged, “No problem, Alph.” He planted a kiss to Ryou’s cheek and got up. “I’ll be upstairs.” He gave a little wave before teleporting away. 

Alphys waited a moment then sighed, “There’s a small issue with the tests. Y-Your tests came back showing that your body is producing large amounts of magic, which, for s-someone who just woke up from a coma induced by a depletion of magic, it’s completely a-abnormal.” She said before wringing her hands nervously. 

“What’s causing it?”

“W-Well it could be a number of things b-but…well, as a doctor I guess I need to ask…have you bonded souls with Sans?”

Ryou’s face turned a bright red. She couldn’t form words, so she just nodded guiltily. She hid behind her bangs and mumbled out, “This is embarrassing…”

“How long ago?”

“Uh…the night of…A-Asgore’s birthday party…” She hid her face in her hands. 

Alphys folded her arms and sighed, “I guess that explains it, then.”

“What?”

Alphys wrung her hands again, “W-Well large amounts of magic bonded between two monsters through the soul is u-usually…h-how…uh…m-more monsters are m-made?” She squeaked out the last bit, her face a little red. 

Ryou’s hands fell into her lap and she stared at Alphys, “Alphys..?”

She put her hands to her face, “T-To put things simply, you’re p-pregnant.”

Ryou suddenly gave a giggle, “What?”

“It makes sense if it’s been t-this long, monster children develop differently in h-humans and in different species of monster. When you bonded souls, some of Sans’s magic a-attached itself to your soul and…w-well, you’re both skeleton monsters…right?”

Panic set in and her hands flew to her stomach, “Oh my god…”

“N-Now don’t freak out! You’re in early development and too much stress c-could harm the child!” 

“It’s hard not to, I just had a bomb dropped on me after being put into a coma because I was possessed by a psycho killer, who, by the way, is still on the loose somewhere!” Ryou put a hand to her head. “Oh god…this isn’t happening…” She groaned and curled into a ball. 

Alphys smiled nervously, “W-Well, you have a lot of s-strong monsters watching over you! Everything will be fine.”

“How am I going to explain this to Sans?” Ryou asked in horror. “How do I tell him? What do I say?!”

“Tell him the truth.” Alphys said before sighing and giving her a confident smile. “I’m sure he’ll be t-thrilled.”

Ryou shook her head, “I…I don’t know if I can…”

“W-Well, if you like I’ll give you your results and he can look them over. He’s s-smart enough to figure it out.” Alphys assured her then handed her a small file. “I have a copy in the other room, you can keep that one.”

Ryou got up and took the file, “Thank you Alphys…” 

She was led upstairs where Sans was lounging in Alphys’s recliner. He looked up at them, “Hey, you all done?”

She felt her heart skipping beats, her soul was shaking along with the rest of her. She just nodded, “…Yeah…”

He hopped up and nodded towards the door, “Ready to head home?”

Alphys smiled, “I-I’m sure that would be the best place.” She nudged Ryou. 

Ryou just walked to the door without a word and opened it. Sans, a little confused, waved to Alphys and followed Ryou into Hotland, “Hey, slow down, I’m not built for speed.” He chuckled as he caught up to her. “Glad that’s over with, it felt like I was waiting for-“ He paused and realized she was crying. “Ryou?” He caught her hand. 

“I…I don’t know how to…” She tried to speak through her tears so she just put the file in his hand. “Take me home and read it there, okay…?”

He looked at it with concern but nodded, “Okay, let’s head home then.” He pulled her closer and teleported them into the living room. He released Ryou and watched as she pulled a blanket out of the closet, wrapped herself into a burrito, and curled up on the couch. He flopped onto the couch beside her and opened the file. He began reading through it. 

Ryou watched him from the small gap in the blanket as he read. She gauged his reactions, but he didn’t seem to have any…until the last page. He scrolled over it before pausing, sitting up and reading it over again…and again, and again. His hands were shaking and his eyes widened as he read through it once more. He put a hand to his mouth and Ryou watched his wide eyes locked with hers. 

“You’re…” He couldn’t seem to finish the sentence. He looked back at the file again before closing it and setting it on the coffee table. “Ryou I…I’m so sorry…” 

She unwrapped herself, shaking her head, “No, don’t apologize Sans.” She wrapped her arms around him. “I should be the one apologizing to you…”

He buried his face into her shoulder, “What do we do?”

“I…I don’t know…” She admitted, hugging him tightly. “I have no idea…”

He suddenly began to bubble with laughter, “I can’t believe this is happening…”

“I’m just as shocked as you are.”

“I should’ve known better…”

“Can’t really dwell on what should or shouldn’t have been done, Sans.” 

He nodded and sighed, “I’ll have to watch you a lot more closely.” 

“No more than you usually do.” She laughed then pulled back and wiped her eyes. She didn’t realize she’d been crying. 

Sans pulled her in and kissed her. She leaned in and kissed him back and when they parted he had stars in his eyes, “I guess I’m a dad now.”

Her heart fluttered, “Yeah, you are…How are we going to tell the others?”

He shrugged, “I don’t have a clue but we’ll figure it out.” He kissed her once more before pulled her on top of him and laying back on the cushions. “I’m more worried about how Nova will handle it.”

She hid her face against his chest, “Not it…”

“Damn it.” Sans grumbled. “Come on, wouldn’t it be better for you to tell him?”

“Not a chance in hell.” She smiled up at him. “You’ll be fine.”

He rolled his eyes and sighed, “If I suddenly disappear, you know why.”

“I’ll mourn you.” She giggled as he rolled them onto their sides and held her to him. 

“And I thought I was heartless.” He smirked as she laughed.


	17. Jealous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ***NSFW warning!***
> 
> Hey everyone! Sorry for the wait, I've been trying to write out how I'm going to handle the ending of this story and how to progress to that particular ending. So it'll be fluff and shinanigans for the next few chapters to push along until the next serious chapter. So here's this!
> 
> Enjoy ;p

Sans sat with Papyrus and Nova the next morning, letting Ryou sleep in and giving him a chance to prepare himself to break the news to the others. His soul thrummed hard against his ribs as he mustered up the courage to bring it up as his brother and Nova chatted together cheerfully as Papyrus finished breakfast. Sans looked to Flowey who also seemed to be enjoying the conversation, if just a little, and let out a sigh before speaking up. 

“Hey guys, Ryou and I have something to talk to you guys about, but since she’s still asleep…” He trailed off as everyone turned to look at him. 

“What’s up?” Nova asked, shoving his hands in his pocket and grinning.

“What is it, Sans?” Papyrus asked turning back to the cooking food. 

Sans took a deep breath, “Well, things are changing in the house. Nova and the weed are here.”

“I have a name you know.” Flowey grumbled. 

“Well, like I said, changes are being made in our lives…and yesterday, Ryou went to get checked out by Alphys.”

“Everything turn out okay?” Nova asked. 

“Well…Alphys noticed a raised amount of magic in her body, which we all know isn’t a good sign after recovering from Energy Disintegration…but Ryou’s not showing the usual signs of a magical overload, so Alphys ran a few tests and it turns out she’s pregnant.”

The kitchen went silent, Nova’s eyes went dark, Flowey stared in confusion, and Papyrus’s food started to burn. Everyone was frozen until Nova grabbed him by the shirt and grinned menacingly down at him, “I’m sorry, friend, I DON’T BELIEVE I HEARD THAT RIGHT.”

“I-I’M AN UNCLE?!” Papyrus gasped and turned around to hold both Nova and Sans, crushing the two into each other. Nova’s eye was flickering a pink and purple intimidatingly at Sans and his grin was strained. Sans just shrugged and grinned lazily at him. 

The fire alarm began going off and Papyrus gasped, “OH NO! MY PANCAKES!”

Nova huffed, ‘So “THAT” is what you were talking about.’ He put a hand to his head, “I need a cigarette…” He grumbled before storming outside. 

Sans let out a sigh of relief, “That…went better than I expected.”

Papyrus sulked a bit over his burnt pancakes but recovered and scooped his brother into his arms, “I’M AN UNCLE! WHEN ARE THEY COMING!”

“It’ll be a while, Paps.” Sans chuckled and pat his brother on his shoulder. 

“I CAN’T WAIT TO TELL METTATON!” Papyrus cried with joy before pausing his excitement to say. “Oh…sorry. I forgot you don’t like it when I-“

Sans frowned but sighed and put on a smile, “Nah, it’s alright. I have to accept it at some point, you’re my little brother but you’re an adult. Ryou opened my eyes to that and…I think I finally feel ready to accept that your friends.”

Papyrus began to sweat, “Oh…right…f-friends…”

Sans’s felt him mouth twitch, “Papyrus?” He looked at Sans nervously before setting him down and taking a step back. “PAPYRUS?” Sans said more forcefully.   
“I um…I-I…” Papyrus began shaking and he suddenly let out a sob and sank to the floor. “I CANT KEEP THIS FROM YOU ANYMORE! IT’S EATING AWAY AT MY SOUL!” 

Sans stared in horror, “Whoa, Papyrus…” He knelt and put his hand on his shoulder. 

“YOU HATE HIM, I KNOW YOU DO, BUT I CAN’T HELP THAT I LOVE HIM, SANS.” Papyrus put his hands to his mouth and shook his head. 

Sans felt his bones rattle, “I…”

“A-AND I KNOW THAT YOU WOULD’VE BEEN ANGRY IF I TOLD YOU SOONER, SO I…I KEPT IT FROM YOU. WE’VE BEEN DATING FOR MONTHS, TRYING TO KEEP IT SECRET FROM EVERYONE…I CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE…”

Sans fell back onto his behind and put a hand to his forehead, “Months?” He looked at his brother as he cried into his gloves. “I’ve been…a real shitty brother…haven’t I?” He pulled Papyrus’s hands away and took his face in his hands. “Papyrus, I…” He fought for the words. “It’s hard for me to explain. You’re my little brother, I’ve…always been the one you came to for help. The big brother that came to your rescue when you got hurt…or when you were hurt by others…” He wiped the tears off his brothers face and smiled. “I sometimes forget you’re not a kid anymore. If Mettaton makes you happy, I won’t interfere. But if he hurts you, you better believe I’m turning him into scrap metal.”

Papyrus pouted a moment but pulled Sans into a hug, “I love you too Sans.” They hugged for another moment before Papyrus sighed and looked up at the stove. “WHY DON’T YOU GO TO GRILLBYS AND BRING BACK BREAKFAST? YOU USED TO ALWAYS TALK ABOUT THE BREAKFAST BORRITOS THERE! I WILL TRY ONE!”

“Sure, I’ll go get some.” He stood up and helped Papyrus to his feet. “Nothing spicy, right?”

“I CANNOT BE DRUNK WHEN I GO SEE UNDYNE LATER FOR TRAINING.”

“Gotcha, I’ll be back in a few.” He gave Papyrus a wink before disappearing to Grillby’s.

Papyrus wiped his face and put a hand to his soul, smiling giddily, “I thought he’d never leave…” Flowey huffed. 

“GOODNESS, FLOWEY! YOU WERE SO QUIET I HAD FORGOTTEN YOU WERE THERE. WOULD YOU LIKE A BORRITO WHEN IT GETS HERE? KNOWING SANS HE WILL BRING ENOUGH TO FEED TWELVE OF US…”

Flowey tilted his head a bit, “What’s a burrito?”

“I HAVE NO IDEA!”

Flowey shrugged his leaves, “Fine.”

 

Ryou woke a bit late and walked down to the kitchen for a glass of water. She felt more dehydrated than usual. When she walked into the kitchen she blinked several times at Sans and Nova giggling to themselves and looking through something on his phone, then she noticed Papyrus and Flowey doing a jigsaw puzzle together. She looked around the room and spoke softly, “This is…unexpected.”

“Heh, she’s so cute in this one!” Sans giggled as Nova grinned at him as they scrolled through…

Ryou frowned, “Nova, are those old pictures of me?”

Nova looked up and laughed, “Damn right, you were so cute in that old oversized hoodie. So adorable I can hardly stand it!”

“I agree, that curly fluffy hair…I just wanna pet it.” Sans said softly petting the fluff around his hood.

Ryou sent Papyrus a glance and he smiled awkwardly, “GRILLBY HAD A NEW BRAND OF HOTLAND EXTRA HOT SAUCE. THESE TWO WERE READY TO TEAR ONE ANOTHER TO SHREDS WHILE THEY ATE BUT AFTERWARDS THEY BOTH STARTED SHARING HORRIBLE PUNS AND SCROLLING THROUGH NOVA’S PHONE.”

She put her hand to her head, “The one day I sleep in I wake up and your both drunk and-“

“Here’s one where Alphys put her in the cutest Mew Mew Kissy Cutey costume.” Nova said excitedly. 

“Don’t show him that one!” She snapped her fingers and Nova’s phone was in her hands. “I feel violated letting you keep some of these.” Sans and Nova stared at her. She looked at the phone in her hands and gasped, “Did I just…use magic to take your phone?”

“You’re so cute when you’re surprised.” Sans giggled and Nova nodded vigorously. 

She grinned down at them a little menacingly, “I hope you won’t mind me breaking your phone.”

“We’re sorry.” Nova and Sans said in unison. 

She rolled her eyes and tossed the phone back to Nova and sighed, “I need some water.” She grabbed a glass and went to the sink. As she filled it up she felt arms encircle her from behind and she looked back to see Sans nuzzling his face into her hair. She smiled and drank down her water, then got more. Sans peaked over her shoulder and watched her curiously. 

“What are you doing?” She giggled shyly. 

He watched as she grabbed a third glass and glanced at her as she put it to her lips. She paused and glanced at him again, her cheeks reddening, “Honey, you’re making me a little self-conscious staring like that…”

“You’re drinking a lot of water.” He pointed out with a lopsided grin. 

She raised a brow at him then at the half drunk glass in her hand, “Oh…I was just really thirsty, Sans. I’m carrying a baby, I have to stay hydrated.”

He blushed, his arms tightening around her, “I’m still getting used to that fact.”

She held up the glass to him, “Want some?”

He took the glass and drank down the rest, “Thanks.”

She pressed a kiss to his forehead, “You’re welcome.”

“Don’t I get a kiss?” Nova pouted from the corner across the room, scrolling on his phone. 

Ryou sighed and turned to appease her pouting friend. She knelt and pecked the top of his skull, his face lit up happily at her. She smiled back, turning back to Sans who was shooting Nova a jealous glare, which Nova responded by sticking a fluorescent violet tongue out at him. 

Flowey groaned, “Would you two just get a room already and leave us three alone? Your jealous back and forth is super annoying.”

Sans took Ryou protectively in his arms and gave her a devilish grin. Before she could protest Sans had her back in her room and pinned to the bed. She frowned at him, “That wasn’t very nice, Sans.”

“No, it wasn’t…” He mumbled in agreement then sighed. “But I can’t help it, I want you so badly all the time I can hardly contain myself.”

She blushed furiously, “What do you-“

“Like…that night we bonded souls…” He murmured against her hair, inhaling her scent before sliding his tongue up her neck. “I can’t stop thinking about it, I…I want to see you like that again I was just too afraid to ask…”

She turned her gaze to him, she smiled lovingly at him, “Is that what you wanted? You were getting worked up because we haven’t had sex since that night?”

His bones turned a light blue and he looked a little ashamed, “Y…Yeah…”

She bit her lip then pressed a kiss to his cheekbone, “You don’t have to be embarrassed, Sans.”

“I-I know I…it was a huge step for me…bonding souls with you…” He admitted then his voice filled with lust. “I couldn’t get the image of you under me out of my head.”

She felt her heart begin to race against her ribs and heat began racing down between her legs, “What are you waiting for?” She breathed out, pressing a small kiss to his clavicle. “Isn’t this what you wanted?”

He chuckled seductively, “I just needed you to say yes.”

“Bone me.” She gave him a goofy smile. 

Sans stared at her until they both burst into laughter, “Damn it, you stole that joke from me.”

She shrugged, “Hey, the opportunity was free.”

He leaned in as wisps of blue magic resonated from his eye, “I’ll have to punish you, won’t I? Stealing my joke is a serious offense.” He murmured as he pulled her shirt over her head, smirking down at her as she rolled her eyes. 

“I didn’t see your name on it.” She stuck her tongue out at him and gasped when he pulled her in to kiss him. She gave in without much of a fight and was rewarded with a swift motion of his hand over her stomach and down to pull at her shorts, which he pulled off her hips with ease. He groaned a little as he let his hand roam over her legs and up to rest on her hip and gave her skin a little squeeze. Swiping his tongue over her neck and gently bit her earlobe he let his hand wander between her legs but hesitated. 

“I’ll kick your boney butt if you stop now.” She warned, her voice was uneasy but her eyes were determined. 

Pressing a gentle kiss to her shoulder he delved between her folds and teased her sensitive bud, rotating gently the way he had done before. He watched her eagerly as her eyes dimmed to a hot smoldering pink and sparkled, the light from her eyes shadowed the blush on her cheeks as she let out a breathless moan and gently bit her lip. Sans got an odd sense of satisfaction that he was the only one who got to see her like this, the only monster or human in this world that would ever experience the beauty she was when he pleasured her. And when those hot eyes landed on him, he felt his soul thrum desperately in his chest and he returned the same hot stare back to her. For a moment, he felt lost in the moment, the sounds she made and the slick flesh under his fingers, the heat radiating off her body, and the slight chill of his bedroom…everything factored into the moment until his mind was fogged with more than inebriation. 

“I want you so badly…” He hissed between his teeth, eye glowing warmly at her with raw desire. He could feel her heart beating, her soul buzzing in her chest, her short and shaking breaths as her chest rose and fell under his chin. She turned them both over until he was on his back, startling Sans as she straddled his hips and pulled up his shirt. She spared no time as she ducked her head and swiped her tongue over his ribs, forcing a breathy cry of pleasure out of Sans that startled them both. 

“Sans? Did I hurt you?” Ryou asked cautiously as he put a hand over his mouth and shook his head. She realized he was stifling himself and continued her assault on his bones; licking and sucking on his ribs before starting on his spine. He whimpered and moaned loudly against his hand; face a hot mess of ecstasy as she continued. She’d never known why the brothers were always so secretive about their bones and why they didn’t like them to be touched. It was now obvious. 

He shook his head, “They’ve always been a bit sensitive, but this is the first time it felt so good touching them…” His voice was hoarse and thick with lust. She could feel him pulsing between her legs through his shorts, the feeling of his need sent a hot wave of need course through her. She reached down and pulled him from his shorts and pressed him against her entrance, rubbing the almost vibrating tip against her most sensitive spots before letting him enter her. His eyes clamped shut and he thrust his hips up involuntarily, causing her to gasp as he filled her completely. She shivered and rolled her hips, testing the position she was in before thrusting her hips, riding him slowly as she got used to his length. 

She was a blushing mess, but Sans looked a little lost in the moment. She couldn’t deny that seeing him so needy was kind of cute, he wanted to move so badly, to be in charge, but she refused to let him as she slowly rode him, using almost agonizingly slow movements to tease him. He grunted against his hands, shooting her a desperate look but she just grinned at him. She was surprised how much she was enjoying watching him squirm for release under her demanding gaze. 

“Don’t tease me, Ryou.” He half growled, the other half was a mix of whining and pleasure. She guessed she could oblige. She picked up her pace and watched as his annoyed and desperate gaze changed to a more passionate and pleased look. He rolled his hips with hers, letting himself go just a little deeper with every thrust she made. He felt it, the rise of magic and energy boiling in his soul, ready to release itself inside her. His eye glowed brightly as he sat up and grabbed her roughly, turning them over and plowing his cock as deeply as he could until he felt her suddenly tighten around him. He clamped a hand over her mouth as she came hard, squeezing him until he couldn’t handle it and came with her. 

Sans burned out and collapsed onto his side, his magic sizzling away into a mist. He struggled to keep his eyes open but ultimately passed out a moment later. Ryou pulled the blanket over him before pulling her clothes on and heading for the shower and let Sans sleep. She needed to get out of the house and move her body, and since Sans was passed out, Nova would have to escort her. 

 

Nova stretched as he walked with Ryou out into town, his buzz wearing off as the cold chill ran through his bones. It was a bit colder than usual, but nothing seemed to phase him for long. He glanced at Ryou and a small part of him wanted to pat her head and tell her things would be alright, but he forced his hand to stay buried in his pockets. She looked at him then smiled. Nova gave her a wink before saying, “You look happy.”

She blushed a bit before saying, “Life is good, Nova. Why wouldn’t I be happy?”

He pulled a cigarette out of his pocket before sticking it between his teeth, “If by life you mean a trip to the bonezone, then sure.” He snickered as she shot him a dirty look. 

She composed herself and smiled sweetly, “Sorry, I forgot you’ve never been there.” 

He choked and let out a loud laugh, “Ouch, my pride.”

“You’ll live.” She said before continuing forwards. 

He caught up to her, smiling wide. She looked at him a little warily, “Why are you grinning like that?”

“I’m just so proud.” He wiped away an invisible tear. 

“You’re so weird.” She laughed. 

Ryou looked up at the frozen ceiling high above their heads. Nova glanced up then ruffled her hair, “You know, you spent the first few months living in the underground staring upwards looking for the sun in our frozen roof. Had the same longing look in your eyes too.”

“I guess now that I’m a mother I’m worrying about what my child will grow up to see. It saddens me that they may never know the warmth of the sun or the blue of the sky. I guess many of us feel that way. Even now, thousands of years later, Toriel still remembers every detail of the moon and its phases. If I was human-“

He held up a hand, “Don’t start with that. We love you the way you are, human or not, you’re special to all of us, proof that humans and monsters can coexist. So stop it with the ‘If I were human’ thing. Love yourself, damn it.” 

“You’re right…” She glanced at him with a small smile, then a wide grin, “Was that you or Gaster talking?”

‘She’s just like her mother, I swear…’ Gaster sighed. 

“You have to ask?” He sighed and went to light up his cigarette but Ryou smacked his hand. 

“Nova, you shouldn’t be smoking next to a pregnant woman.” She huffed at him.

He looked at the cigarette then chuckled, “It’s just herbs rolled into a cigarette, Ryou.” He went to light it again but she pulled it out of his mouth and glared at him. He rolled his eyes. “Ryou, I need that.”

“Why are you smoking so much? Did dad smoke like this?”

‘Oh, she got you, Gaster.’ ‘Nova’ chuckled.

“R-Ryou, please, I need that so hand it back to me.” He asked gently. “Please?”

“You’ve got quite the addiction, Nova. Don’t you care about your own health?”

He grunted, “Give me the damn thing, would ya? I’m not playing around here, I will die.”

She scoffed, “Don’t you think that’s a bit much? You’re not going to die from not smoking.”

“Ryou, this isn’t the place to discuss this, just give me the damn thing.”

She frowned, “All this for a cigarette? What the hell is going on with you, lately? You’re smoking them a lot and I’m worried!”

He groaned and ran a hand over his skill in frustration, “Fine.” He put his hand to his chest. “I’ll tell you about why I smoke them, but for your safety and mine, give it to me.”

She hesitated but gave in, handing it back to him. He teleported away from her and lit it. He took several long drags before ushering her over, “Don’t worry, it’s not normal smoke, it’s mostly magic.”

She approached but kept her distance, “Explain.”

He pulled out his soul for her to see, the rainbow shards that were normally glistening and shiny were now dulled with grey and black patches. Ryou put her hand to her mouth in horror as she watched him take a drag and slowly the darkness receded back into the singular black shard at the base of his soul. He exhaled the vapor and let his soul return to his chest. He clenched the cigarette between his teeth as he explained. 

“That black shard, the one you saw, its corrupted completely by hatred. If I stop smoking these cigarettes…I’ll become nothing more than a husk with the power of one thousand monsters. I’ll be no better than…’THEM’.” He spat bitterly but sighed. “This power had backlash, one thousand pissed monsters merged into a spiteful amalgamation inside Gaster’s body when he merged with the void. When ‘Nova’ gave himself to Gaster to use, I was born. I didn’t know anything but the blank nothingness of my life. Memories that weren’t mine, voices in my head, and…my shattered soul swiftly turning black with each second passed.

These cigarettes are infused with Narco Root, a powerful magic suppressant, but if I take too much, the strings connecting the shards of my soul could unhinge and I would simply cease to be. Gaster would return to the emptiness of the void and ‘Nova’ would finally kick the bucket. It’s not an ideal situation but there’s not much else I could do at this current time.”

“You’ve been…hiding this? From all of us? Why? Why wouldn’t you tell us this sooner?” She touched his arm gently, afraid that something as simple as her touch could turn him to dust before her eyes. 

“I don’t have a good excuse Ryou, not one that I could put into words without sounding childish or irresponsible. I want to protect you and this timeline until the end. Chara is a big enough problem, I don’t need to add to the worry, especially with…this.” He motioned to her stomach and she grimaced. 

“But you’re slowly being filled with hatred, Nova. Your soul-“

“Is my problem, kid.” He reached up to pat her head but withdrew and took a step back. “You have more important things to worry about, Ryou. That baby is more important right now, you can’t be stressing over my condition. I’m fine, I’ve got it handled with Gaster’s help.” He put out his cigarette. “So, let’s just get your shopping done, ‘kay?” He gave her his best smile but he could tell she wasn’t buying it. 

“I’ll let this go for now, but when all is said and done, I want you to see Alphys.” Ryou gave him a serious look. “Okay?”

“Yes, ma’am.” He chuckled and let her lead them back onto the path to town. Nova couldn’t put his finger on it, but it felt as though someone were watching them, prying eyes from an unknown location watching their every move. He looked back over his shoulder and glared into the forest, giving warning to whoever had been watching from the shadows. He turned back to Ryou and threw his arm around her shoulders and sighed, “Not sure how much can be done, but if it will ease that pretty head of yours, I’ll go.” 

She smiled up at him, “Good.”


	18. Sick Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hoi! Happy Holidays guys! Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and are enjoying time with your loved ones. Thank you for your comments and Kudos, this means a lot to me and I always get so excited seeing your feedback. You guys made my year feel perfect. Thank you!  
> Enjoy!~
> 
> PS: Hope yall enjoy the art I drew of Nova lol

Ryou woke up earlier than usual, feeling energized and a bit determined to do something today. She knew what holiday was on its way and she had a lot of prepping to do in the meantime. She sat up and shook Sans awake, “Hey, wake up, Sans. I need your help to clean the house today.” He hummed and opened his eyes at her. She recoiled her hand a bit as she noticed how disheveled he looked, “Did you sleep at all?”

He sat up a bit and rubbed his eyes, “Mhm…” He yawned and winced. “Though I’m feeling a little off, I’m fine.”

Giving him a worried look she slowly got out of bed, “Okay, let’s get started on laundry and clean the-“

BOOM!

Ryou and Sans flinched at the loud explosion from downstairs and looked at one another with worry, “What the hell was that?” Sans asked as he hopped out of bed and opened the bedroom door to hear Papyrus, Nova, and…was that Mettaton? “You guys okay?” Sans called down.

“Oh goodness, you’ve woken them up Nova!” Mettaton groaned. 

“Hey, I was trying to make food, I never claimed I was an expert. How was I supposed to know putting a lid on it and letting it sit on high heat would make the meatballs explode?”

Sans put a hand to his head and groaned, “They’re cooking…”

Ryou peeked her head out, the smell of burnt meat and tomato was incredibly prominent around the house as the smoke alarm went off, “You boys need any help down there?”

Nova walked around to the balcony and Ryou put a hand to her mouth. He was covered in tomato sauce and black bits of exploded meat, “That’s a hard maybe…” He chuckled nervously. 

She sighed, “We’re coming down…” 

Ryou turned and went to get dressed, “Well, good thing I was already planning to clean the house.” 

“It’s not often Mettaton’s over, I wonder how long he’s been here?” Sans wondered. 

Ryou felt the shirt she had in her hands fall from her fingers and she turned to look at him, “Sans? Are you feeling well?”

“Uh…not really, but I’m fine. Why?” He asked with a raised boney brow, the look he had was confused yet inquisitive at the same time. 

“You’re just…oddly calm.” She admitted. “Your brother is with Mettaton in our kitchen and you’re okay with that?” She asked, knowing full well that a few days ago he would’ve tossed Mettaton into the core without hesitation if the poor monster even set foot inside this house. 

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be? …Oh right, you were still asleep that morning. Yeah, Paps and I talked about it. He told me everything and I promised him I wouldn’t interfere with their relationship.” He rubbed his skull gently with a wince. “I don’t like Mettaton that much but I’ll try for my brother’s sake. Papyrus is my little brother, but he’s not a kid anymore.”

“Oh Sans…” She pulled him into her arms and kissed his forehead. His skull felt oddly warmer than usual. His arms wrapped around her gently and he buried his face into her shoulder. “You’re feeling kinda warm.”

He shrugged, “I guess I’m just too hot to handle…” He gave a weak chuckle then collapsed against her. 

“S-Sans?!” She gasped as his weight pulled them both to the floor with a thud. She hissed a little at the slight throbbing in her tailbone but ignored it as she looked down at Sans who was breathing a little more rugged than before. “Honey, what’s wrong?” She asked touching his skull and felt sweat beading on his bones and his face began flushing. “Sans?” She could feel his bones starting to shake against her skin and she looked at her open bedroom door in a panic. “Papyrus?!” She called down frantically. 

It took less than a minute for Papyrus to run upstairs, “ARE YOU ALRIGHT…?” Papyrus froze in the doorway. “WHY ARE YOU BOTH ON THE FLOOR?”

“Sans?” She shook him a little but his only response was a small groan. 

“IS HE ALRIGHT?”

Ryou shook her head, “No, he just collapsed out of nowhere!” She looked up at Papyrus, her eyes wide with worry. “What’s wrong with him?”

Papyrus, who was surprisingly unscathed by the explosion in the kitchen, knelt and put a gloved hand against his brother’s head, “I BELIEVE MY BROTHER IS ILL.”

“He’s sick? W-With what?”

Papyrus shrugged, “I CANNOT ANSWER THAT, FOR I AM NOT A DOCTOR. LUCKY FOR US, WE KNOW A DOCTOR!”

“I think he got sick from stress.” Nova said from the doorway. “Wouldn’t surprise me with all that’s going on. He’ll be fine as long as he rests.”

Ryou let Papyrus pick up his brother and brought him to lay back in bed, gently pulling the covers over him and giving Sans a worried look, “THOUGH…I’VE NEVER SEEN SANS LIKE THIS. PERHAPS IT IS BEST TO GET SOMETHING A LITTLE STRONGER FROM ALPHYS? JUST IN CASE?”

“I’ll take you to Hotland, bro.” Nova offered. “Um…if you don’t mind if I shower first?”

Papyrus smiled thankfully, “IF YOU WISH TO JOIN ME, I WILL BE WALKING THERE! I HAVE BEEN ALLOWING US TO BECOME VERY LAZY AND I DO NOT WISH TO ADOPT SUCH A HABIT AFTER ALL MY HARD TRAINING!”

Nova shrugged, “Sure, I could go for a walk to Hotland. Just give me a few.”

Ryou sat on the bed and took Sans’s hand in hers, “Is there anything I can do for him?”

“A COOL CLOTH ON THE FOREHEAD WILL HELP! JUST MAKE SURE HE DOES NOT TRY TO USE HIS MAGIC OR GET OUT OF BED! IT IS VERY IMPORTANT HE RESTS.” Papyrus gave Ryou an affectionate pat on the head. “IF YOU NEED ANYTHING I WILL BE DOWNSTAIRS WITH METTATON AND FLOWEY! I MUST CLEAN THE MESS NOVA HAS MADE.”

“It wasn’t like I did it on purpose!” Nova yelled from the bathroom. 

Ryou snickered and rolled her eyes, “Nova isn’t the best cook but he knows how to cook some things. Meatballs aren’t one of them…” She smiled at the memory. “Do you guys need my help down there? Nova sort of gave me a mild answer.”

“DO NOT WORRY, I’VE GOT IT HANDLED! YOU JUST KEEP AN EYE ON MY BROTHER!” Papyrus grinned proudly before heading back downstairs. 

He seemed to be in a good mood. Ryou turned her attention to Sans and realized he’d fallen asleep already but was still breathing a little heavily. She gave his hand a small squeeze and sighed, “Let me get you a wet rag to cool you down, alright?”

He stirred a bit and looked up at her, “Ryou?” He blinked hazily at her. “When did I get back in bed?”

“You collapsed on the floor. Papyrus said you were sick.”

Sans groaned, “No…” He went to sit up but she quickly pushed him back down gently. 

“Don’t get up, bonehead. You’re sick!”

“No, I’m fine.” He grumbled, trying to fight her hands but gave up and let his head hit the pillow. He pouted at her, “I’m not sick, I’m just tired…and…a little shaky…”

She folded her arms and looked down at him expectantly, “And?”

He frowned, “A-And…on fire. Is it really hot in here?” 

“You have a fever.” She said as she headed for the door. “But we’ll fix that. Just relax and let me take care of you.”

He flushed a little deeper and gave an exaggerated sigh, “Okay, I get it…I just want to help you clean the house…”

“Not a chance.” 

He winced, “Can I at least go lay on the couch?”

She sighed and nodded, “But if you set foot off that couch once I’m tying you down until you’re better.”

He attempted to grin seductively at her, “Just be gentle.”

She felt her cheeks redden and she rolled her eyes, “Oh shush.” She helped him get to his feet and grabbed his blanket, wrapping him in it. Realizing he was leaning a lot of his weight on her she sighed and steeled herself. “I’m gunna attempt to teleport to the livingroom.”

“Wait what?” Sans’s eyes widened with fear. 

She pulled him in close and felt her magic resonate. She took a deep breath, got the image of the livingroom in her mind, and suddenly they were pulled into the other room. They landed on the couch roughly, Ryou falling on top of Sans before falling off the couch and onto the floor with a noticeable thud. 

“Ryou!” Sans unwrapped himself in a panic and turned to her. 

She giggled, “I’m fine.” She got to her feet and dusted herself off. “Short distances shouldn’t be too much of a problem.”

Sans frowned at her, “You shouldn’t be taking risks like that…” 

“Oh, stop worrying.” She laughed. 

“SANS? RYOU?” Papyrus peeked into the living room. 

Ryou wrapped Sans back in the blanket, “We’re fine. Sans wanted to rest on the couch while I cleaned the house.”

“BUT I TOLD YOU THAT YOU DIDN’T NEED TO-“

Ryou held up her hand, determination filling a small part of her, “This is my house too. You guys handle the kitchen while Nova showers. I’ll take care of the rest of the house.”

Mettaton walked into the livingroom with all his long-legged glory, “Hello darling! I heard the news, you are absolutely glowing!” He gushed happily. 

“That’s very sweet, Mettaton.” Ryou’s cheeks flushed and her hand rested on her stomach. “We’re all a little surprised.” She looked down at Sans lovingly. He looked back at her with the same loving look. 

“I know I was.” Mettaton admitted. He then put a hand to his cheek, “I’m sorry, that came out sounding rude.”

Ryou waved her hand, a nervous shiver ran up her spine, “Don’t worry about it.” She chanced a glance at Sans and to her relief he was asleep once more. 

“METTATON? CAN I GET YOUR HELP WITH THIS?” Papyrus called from the kitchen. 

“Oh, that’s my cue. Sorry darling, we’ll catch up later!” Mettaton giggled before leaving to the kitchen. 

Ryou sighed and looked down at her sick boney boyfriend. She rubbed her temples and put her hand to her stomach gently, “Let’s get this over with.”

 

Sans woke up groggily with a hot sensation burning his bones uncomfortably as he roused. He looked around and realized he was alone. He sat up and winced, realizing every inch of him ached painfully as he attempted to get to his feet. Wasn’t Ryou cleaning? Wasn’t Papyrus cooking? Wasn’t the tin can here? He shuffled into the kitchen slowly, leaning in the doorway and peeking into the kitchen where he found Ryou standing at the stove humming quietly to herself. He walked in, “Hey, you think you could hand me a glass of water? I’m dying of thirst.” He admitted. 

Ryou eyed him over her shoulder, “Oh. It’s you.”

Sans looked at her curiously, “Uh…yeah? I think so?”

She sighed heavily, “What the hell could you possibly want now?” She hissed. 

That caught Sans off guard, her voice was hateful and the look she’d given him was filled with anger, “Heh…s-something eating ya?” He attempted to joke. 

She turned to him and his soul froze, blood was gushing out of her chest in the same familiar spot from before. His face twisted in horror when he realized she was holding a knife in her hand, “How could I love someone so weak?” She hissed at him. “This baby…this horrific abomination…should not exist…” She took the knife up and Sans realized too late what the hell she was doing. She brought the blade down into her stomach, her eyes pleading and terrified…the same look of fear when she had been possessed. 

“STOP!” Sans yelled, using a bone to smack the knife out of her hand. “Ryou?! What the hell..!? Why…?!” He fell to the floor with her, holding her and trying to stop the bleeding. He didn’t have time to yell for help when she let out a loud scream and the kitchen was filled with distorted tiny whines. Sans slowly turned to look at the source to find the small bloody mass of melting bones and skin crying out to him in agony. He felt his chest heaving as he couldn’t catch a breath. He wanted to vomit, he wanted to scream…

“Hey…” Ryou’s voice caught his attention and he ripped his eyes from the horrible sight to find Chara’s face grinning up at him, their eyes bleeding black bile as they began to cackle loudly at him. 

“SANS!”

 

Sans gasped loudly as he broke free from the fever induced nightmare, his face a mess of tears as he clutched his chest and let out a desperate and confused cry. In a matter of seconds he was looking into Ryou’s eyes, the same soft pink looking back at him with terror and worry. He clutched at her desperately, shaking hard as he attempted to feel for her stomach. 

“Sans?” She let him pull her shirt up over her navel and touch the skin there gently. She flushed a bit and asked. “Is everything alright?”

He visibly calmed when he found no wound and broke out into sobs. Ryou, obviously terrified, gathered him into her arms and let him cry against her. She kissed his skull, “You’re hotter than before…” She murmured against him. “Did you have a nightmare?”

There was a pause but he managed to nod. She rubbed his back, “I’m here, I’m not going anywhere.”

“Are…is the…are they okay?” Sans’s hoarse voice twisted something in Ryou’s chest painfully. 

“You mean the baby? Sans, everything is fine. I’m fine and I’m sure they are too.” Her eyes met his and she gave him a reassuring smile. “I won’t let anything happen to them.”

Nodding gently he pulled her to him and laid them down on the couch. He hadn’t had such a horrid nightmare in a very long time and falling asleep again terrified him. He felt a strong pain in his soul at the words that she’d spoken in his dream. He knew he was weak, he couldn’t protect her when she needed him the most…

“Do you…want to talk about it?” Ryou knew he wouldn’t but it was worth a try asking. 

He contemplated his answer then asked, “Do you…think I’m weak?”

She pulled back to see the broken look on his face and her heart twisted, “What would make you say something like that?”

“Just answer me…”

“No, Sans. You’re not weak, you’re stronger than any of us for the things you’ve been through. We’re both strong in our own ways and I…I’m usually the one being weak. I let Chara take me without much of a fight, I let things happen to me without fighting back, I was too weak and afraid to keep going; until I met you. You and Nova are nothing alike, as I’ve come to realize. Where I felt weak on one side, you built me up and made me feel stronger.”

He choked back a sob, “But I couldn’t protect you, you almost…you almost died, and no reset could ever bring you back.”

That realization hit her, of course she wouldn’t come back, she wasn’t supposed to exist in this timeline and dying would be the end of her completely. She pressed her forehead against his and looked him sternly in the eye, “You didn’t do anything wrong Sans, what happened was unexpected and if you hadn’t fought so hard for me, I might not be here. So stop blaming yourself, alright? If anything…I should be apologizing to you. You were living your life peacefully before I showed up…everything changed because of my presence in this timeline.”

His grip around her tightened, “You belong here, Ryou…you belong here with me...”

“I love you Sans, so please, stop worrying about that. I’m never going to leave you, not in this life or the next. You’re mine and I won’t let anything happen to you.” She pressed a kiss to his mouth gently before pulling back and relaxing beside him. He visibly calmed, slumped against the pillows watching her. He looked exhausted. “Have you been beating yourself up about this since then?”

“I…had nightmares about it for a while. I just woke out of one, but in this one you tried to kill the baby…and what crawled out of that wound…” He curled into a ball. “I’ve never seen something so horrifying...”

She took his hand in hers and pressed it to her belly, “You have a high fever and those can cause some seriously terrifying nightmares. It wasn’t real, alright?”

He smoothed his hand over her stomach as gently as possible, the gesture seemed to calm him down, “I love you both…”

Ryou’s heart swelled with love, “And we love you. Now, how’s about we get something to eat? I’ll turn on the TV and you can watch something while I cook.”

He looked a little reluctant but nodded, “Sure.”

Ryou had finished cleaning just before Sans woke from his nightmare and wasn’t the least bit surprised he’d had a nightmare, but hearing the horrible vision his mind created made her a little sick. She had no idea the impact of her possession had on everyone, she didn’t even really register how it had truly affected her. She was just grateful for her freedom…but now that she thought about it, she’d been a lot more cautious about leaving the house alone. The idea that at any moment Chara could attack and finish her off terrified her. 

“What sounds good?” Ryou called from the kitchen as she opened the cupboard and took note of the stock of canned and dried food she’d bought. “How does some hot soup sound?”

“Sounds good.” He called back weakly. Sans was curled into a ball once more and focusing his eyes on the TV. Why did he tell her? He wasn’t supposed to tell her about the nightmares, any amount of stress he could keep away from her and their unborn child the better, and yet he turned into a blubbering mess. To his defense, he was very sick, his bones ached and several times he heard the popping and cracking of his stiff joints as they struggled to relax against the constant shaking. ‘What a mess you are, Sans…’ He thought to himself with a slight roll of his eyes. God if his skull wasn’t killing him…

 

Papyrus walked with Nova out on Sentry Duty, Nova taking Sans’s place since Sans was sick. They walked through the snow-covered woods, the ice crunching loudly under their boots as they walked. Papyrus had a little bounce in his step and Nova watched curiously with a happy grin. He let his new adopted brother have a cheery moment as they walked. 

“You look pretty happy today, bro.”

Papyrus gave Nova a sunny smile, “EVERYTHING SEEMS SO MUCH EASIER AND HAPPIER NOW THAT SANS KNOWS! I DON’T FEEL LIKE I’M SUFFOCATING UNDER THE STRESS OF SECRECY. MY BROTHER AND I HAVE BEEN VERY CAREFUL ABOUT TRUSTING OTHERS, SO SANS WAS ALWAYS THE ONE I TRUSTED WITH EVERYTHING. IT HURT TO KEEP IT IN, BUT NOW I FEEL NOTHING BUT JOY!”

Nova chuckled, “My brother and I were…somewhat that way. Papyrus wasn’t like you, he was more…hardened by time. Not to say my brother was an asshole or anything, he just tended to take things too seriously. He trumped Undyne and joined the Royal Guard but it didn’t last long since he died…” He rubbed his cheekbone. “He was everything I wasn’t, in my own opinion, my brother deserved life more than me.”

“I DISAGREE.” Papyrus said matter-of-factly. “IF YOU WEREN’T AROUND, I WOULD NOT HAVE MORE THAN ONE BROTHER! YOU MAKE US ALL HAPPY BEING HERE, EVEN IF SANS DOESN’T OFTEN SHOW IT.”

“Thanks, but wouldn’t you feel the same way if you were in my position? Wouldn’t you give your everything to save the people you love?”

Papyrus paused and looked up at the trees thoughtfully, “I SUPPOSE YOU’RE RIGHT, BUT IN THE END, IF I WAS STILL AROUND WITHOUT MY BROTHER, I WOULD CONTINUE ON WITH LIFE AS MUCH AS I’D HATE IT.”

Nova shrugged his shoulders, but a small part of his soul ached, “Heh, I guess you have a point.”

“OF COURSE! YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM USUALLY ALWAYS RIGHT!” Papyrus said confidently then continued his march through Snowdin Forest. 

They came close to the ruins and something began to feel off. Nova grabbed Papyrus’s arm, “Hold on…” Nova looked around. “Hello? Anyone out here?” He called but there was no answer. He grit his teeth. “Papyrus? Wasn’t there supposed to be monsters guarding the ruins?”

“YES, I WONDER WHERE THEY’VE GONE OFF TO?” Papyrus wondered curiously. 

“Something’s not right. Stay here, I’ll-“

“NO, I WILL ACCOMPANY YOU. I CANNOT HAVE YOU GETTING INJURED ONCE AGAIN IF THAT SMALL DEMON CHOOSES TO ATTACK. I WOULD NOT FORGIVE MYSELF IF I ALLOWED SUCH A THING.” Papyrus stated before marching towards the ruins. 

Nova followed closely behind him, “Okay but I’m getting us the hell out of here at the first chance, I don’t like this…”

They approached the doors when the clanking of armor caught their attention. Papyrus took note of this and called out, “HELLO?”

There was a pause then from behind them came a shuffle of the snow, “What the heck are you punks doing all the way out here?”

They turned to find Undyne and several guards standing beside her, she was bundled up and armed to the teeth, obviously ready for Chara to show themselves to her. Nova chuckled, “Sentry Duty, but we noticed the guards weren’t posted at the entrance to the ruins and we got a little panicked.”

“No offense, but why are you out here with Papyrus? Is Sans slacking off again?” Undyne huffed and folded her arms. “You’d think he’d take his job a little seriously.”

“MY BROTHER IS ILL. I GOT SOME MEDICINE AND LEFT IT AT THE HOUSE BEFORE STARTING MY ROUNDS. I HOPE YOU DON’T MIND TOO MUCH THAT NOVA STEPPED IN FOR TODAY.”

“Nah, it’s cool. You guys find anything?”

Nova shook his head, “Nothing yet, but I know that if Chara is still around they would have nowhere to go without being seen or felt. It’s a little noticeable how much raw determination and hatred is radiating off their body, or lack thereof.” He popped a cigarette into his teeth and ran a hand over his skull. “Just a matter of finding them.”

Undyne nodded and looked to the other guards, “What are you guys still doing standing here? Get back to your posts!”

The guards scrambled past them and rushed to stand at the door and patrol the surrounding area. Undyne could only sigh and shake her head, “I feel like nobody is taking this threat seriously. Now that we’ve moved everyone back into their homes in Snowdin they don’t seem to be taking the threat as any more than a bad rumor. It’s honestly unsettling how little they seem to care, then again, they weren’t there to see what this thing is capable of.”

“Chara is a demon, fear and misguidance is something they pride themselves in. Having the town completely unphased and or unaware is exactly what they want.” He lit up and inhaled the bitter smoke before exhaling it in one long sigh. “Just like our timeline…”

Papyrus pat Nova’s shoulder, “I’M SURE WE WILL FIND THEM SOON!”

“I’m more worried about Ryou right now, it’s her Chara seems to be after. The fact Ryou’s more vulnerable due to pregnancy makes this a lot harder and stressful than before. Their child is in constant danger as long as Chara remains free.”

Undyne nodded, “Well, you guys continue your duties and I’ll handle things here. I’ll give Papyrus a call if we find anything.”

“OF COURSE! WE WILL AWAIT YOUR CALL THEN!” Papyrus said cheerfully before turning back down the path. “LET US CONTINUE OUR PATROLS!”

Nova shrugged, “Sounds good, see ya.” He waved a bit before turning and leaving with Papyrus. They would find Chara, there wasn’t many places they could hide…the underground was only so big…

 

After they ate Ryou grabbed the medicine and a spoon and sat beside Sans, “Okay, Papyrus dropped off the medicine while you were sleeping earlier and said you have to take this ever six hours.” She poured the yellow liquid into the spoon and turned to Sans. “Open up.”

Sans flinched away from the spoon with a glare, “Hell no!”

Ryou blinked at him before giggling, “It’s just a little medicine, come on.”

“No, I hate that stuff...” He grumbled and turned his head away. 

“Don’t be a babybones! Come on, it’ll make you feel better.” 

“Nope.”

She glared and sighed, “Fine.” She put the spoon to her lips and in one motion put the medicine into her mouth. She grabbed Sans’s shirt and turned him to face her. He looked confused until she kissed him and forced the medicine down his ‘throat’. He gently pushed her back, gagging and sputtering violently and looking at her in shock. 

“What the hell!”

She just shrugged, “What? You wouldn’t take it from the spoon, so I gave it to you with my mouth.”

He wiped his face, his cheekbones burning as he pouted at her, “That was mean…”

“If trying to make you better is mean, then I’ll be the evilest woman to storm the Underground.” She said with a cheeky grin. 

He rolled his eyes as he wrapped up in his blankets again, “I love you but never do that again…”

“Only if you promise to take your medicine without complaining next time.” 

He smirked, “You know I hate making promises.” She gave him a look and he chuckled, “Okay, okay, I promise.”

She pat his skull, “Good.” 

He looked at the TV before asking, “Ryou? Are you happy…? About the baby, I mean?”

“I am.” She gave him a loving smile. 

He sighed with content before closing his eyes, “I’m gunna take a nap, or try to. I think I’ll be okay now.”

“Good, I’ll be here if you have another nightmare.” She pat his leg and turned back to the TV. 

“Thanks, I love you.”

She looked at him and her heart swelled with joy, “I love you too.”

Ryou changed the channel and found a new story that caught her attention. 

‘Missing since Tuesday: Ice Cap. If seen, contact the Royal Guard immediately. Ice Cap was last seen West of Snowdin Tuesday morning heading towards the ruins-‘

Ryou’s heart jumped into her throat and she put her hand to her mouth, “Oh god…no…” She looked at Sans, relieved he’d passed out, and grabbed his cellphone. She rushed to the kitchen and dialed Papyrus. 

“OH! HELLO BROTHER! ARE YOU-!”

“Papyrus? It’s Ryou, I need to talk to Nova.”

“OF COURSE! ONE MOMENT!”

There was a paused before Nova’s voice rang in her ears, “What’s up, buttercup?”

“Nova, we have a code red.”

Nova’s cheery voice changed, he was now serious, “What is it?”

“They’ve started it again, Nova, they’re acquiring LV.”

“How do you-?”

“I JUST KNOW!” She half shouted then stifled herself. “I know because I saw this happen in our timeline, it happened to us before…” She put her hand to her mouth. “Nova, we have to do something! Those poor monsters…”

“I’ll let Undyne know and we’ll double our patrols. Just stay with Sans and don’t do anything rash. You have to keep a level head and stay calm. We can’t afford to make mistakes again.”

“Yeah…okay…” She wiped her eyes, surprised to find them wet. “I’ll keep an eye on Sans, he’s asleep for now.”

“Good. Stay safe.”

“You two be careful out there, okay?”

“Will do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 


	19. Merry Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm so laaaate~   
> Sorry for the wait guys, it's been a hectic few days and I'm exhausted lol Hope everyone had a good holiday!  
> Enjoy!

“All done!” Ryou clasped her hands together as she beamed at the Christmas tree Nova helped her get, she’d just finished decorating it and she was excitedly looking at her beautiful handiwork. She looked back at the brothers who stood behind her evaluating her creation. 

“I LOVE IT!” Papyrus exclaimed happily. 

Nova gave her a thumbs up, “It’s great, better than anything I could’ve done.”

“You picked out the tree, you get half the credit for this.” She stated with a big happy smile. 

Sans, who was still recovering, wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her cheek, “I think you did a great job, I haven’t seen a tree in this house since Gaster was around.”

“That long?” Nova chuckled. “Ryou threw a fit every year if we didn’t get one.”

Ryou’s cheeks burned and she pouted, “Hey, it’s a human tradition!”

He held up his hands in defense, grinning wide, “You know, you were kind of a brat now that I think about it.”

Ryou gasped, “What? N-No I wasn’t!” He just shrugged and she pointed a finger at him. “Well at least I made an effort every Christmas, unlike your lazy ass.”

He snorted before letting out a loud laugh, “I just brought in your Christmas tree and you’re calling ME lazy?”

“I can recall several Christmas’s I spent working my ass off making dinner and getting the house ready, by myself mind you.” She shot back. 

Papyrus backed away and Sans gave Ryou a small squeeze before returning to his nest of blankets. Their argument was cut short when there was a knock on the door. Ryou gave Nova a look, “Hold that thought.” She walked to the door and opened it to find Frisk and Toriel standing on the porch. “Oh! Hey guys, what brings you here?”

“I came to visit and Frisk insisted on coming along, she wanted to see her favorite uncles.” Toriel giggled. “I hope I’m not intruding.”

“Not at all, come in.” Ryou turned to let them inside and shut the door behind her. 

Frisk ran up and immediately pounced on Sans, “OOF.” He wheezed out. “Easy kid, I’m a little weak right now.”

Frisk sat up and signed, ‘Are you sick?’

“Yeah, but Ryou’s taking care of me.” Sans shrugged, ruffling the kid’s hair a bit before turning his head to see Toriel. “Hey Tori, what’s up?”

“Good evening Sans, I just came by to visit. I brought a pie.” She opened the large bag on her shoulder and brought out a butterscotch cinnamon pie. She headed to the kitchen and set it down, “Goodness, the kitchen is spotless!”

“OF COURSE! I COULD NOT LET NOVA’S EXPLOSIVE COOKING SETTLE INTO THE WALLS, NYEH HEH HEH!” Papyrus laughed. 

Nova flushed, “H-Hey! I told you I wasn’t good at making meatballs, but did you listen? No.”

Papyrus just shrugged in response, but the two gave one another a silly smile before laughing. Sans sat up and pat the kid in his lap, “So, what have you been up to, kid? You and Monster kid get into any trouble?” Frisk shook her head then twiddled her thumbs nervously. Sans picked up on her behavior and spoke gently, “Something eating ya?”

‘How do you know when you love someone?’ She asked, looking towards the kitchen in case Toriel walked back in. 

Sans tilted his head in confusion, “It’s a fuzzy and warm feeling, kid. It’s a happy feeling but also a painful one.”

Frisk nodded slowly then signed, ‘Am I too young to fall in love?’

Sans choked, “Frisk? You’re still a kid, you shouldn’t be worrying about-“ He paused when her eyes flickered to the kitchen again and he rephrased. “You shouldn’t worry about that at your age…why all the questions?”

Ryou leaned down and pressed a kiss to Frisk’s hair, “She’s got a little crush on Monster Kid I bet.” She said quietly and giggled when Frisk gave her a helpless look. 

Frisk put her hand on her cheek and blushed. She’d been found out, ‘We’re friends…I just don’t understand what I’m feeling.’

“That’s so sweet.” Ryou gushed and pulled Frisk in to cuddle them. “You guys are so adorable.”

Sans leaned his head on Ryou’s shoulder, “Oh right, did you tell Toriel the news?”

Ryou gasped, “I completely forgot!”

‘What news?’

Nova chuckled and waved, “I’m gunna go have a smoke, you guys have fun.”

Papyrus nodded, “I WILL HELP TORIEL IN THE KITCHEN!”

Sans and Ryou watched as they scurried out of the room, they then turned to look at one another in confusion, “They sure were in a hurry.”

“Yeah.” Sans chuckled. 

‘Tell me the news!’ Frisk signed impatiently. 

“So kid, how do you feel about having a cousin?” Sans asked, his smile playful. 

Frisk looked at him thoughtfully, ‘I’ve never had any cousins before, but I don’t think I’d mind!’

“Oh good, cause your aunt here just found out we’re having a baby.” 

There was a crash in the kitchen and Toriel rushed out, “W-WHAT?!”

Ryou laughed it off, “Yeah, I found out a few days ago.”

Toriel rushed over and scooped Ryou into her arms, “Oh my precious child! I’m so happy for you! Goodness, and so soon after waking too!” She placed Ryou down and gave her an excited look. “May I?”

Ryou gave Sans a look and he shrugged, obviously just as confused, so she nodded and Toriel knelt and placed her hand over Ryou’s stomach. She closed her eyes and smiled happily, “Oh my…such strong magic for such new life. You both should be proud.”

Sans and Ryou shared a happy look until Toriel continued, “Goodness…that’s strange.” 

“W-What?” Sans’s voice hid none of the sudden worry he was now feeling but he was able to keep his face calm. 

Toriel grimaced, “It’s…odd, the color of their soul is…overlapping.”

“What does that mean?” Ryou asked. She could feel her heart begin racing in her chest. 

“Well, their soul is flickering between cyan and a light lavender, almost as though their soul doesn’t know which trait it is.”

“Is…that bad?”

Toriel removed her hand and stood up, “I do not know, honestly. For now, we will just have to wait and see, but as far as I can tell, you’re healthy and so are they.”

Ryou placed a hand over her stomach protectively, “Thank you Toriel.”

Sans suddenly sneezed and sniffled, “Thanks Tori…” 

“I’ll make you some tea, Sans. It’ll help with that flu you’ve got.”

“Heh, sure.” He smiled after Toriel as she hurried into the kitchen. He turned his eyes onto Ryou and his eyes softened, “Ryou, are you okay?”

She curled up under the blanket with him and laid her head on his shoulder, “I’m alright.”

He shifted so his arm was around her shoulder and he rested his cheekbone on her head. Frisk climbed into Ryou’s lap; Ryou couldn’t help herself as she wrapped her arms around Frisk and smiled, “We’ve got such a wonderfully dysfunctional family, Sans…and I love you guys so much.”

He laughed, nodding in agreement, “Our family is small but hey, we’re branching out.”

“I’m going to go out on a leaf here and assume that was a pun?”

He grinned, “Just something to lighten the mood from any needling worry.”

“Pine, I guess they are pretty funny.”

“You’re perfect, you know that?” 

She smiled at him, “I try.”

“How could you love a lazybones like me?” He asked, nuzzling her soft hair. 

“Because you make me happy, Sans. You’re genuine with me, you don’t hide from me. Right Frisk?” 

Frisk nodded then eagerly signed to Sans, ‘What about you Sans? What do you like about Ryou?’

Sans flushed a bit, “W-Well…she’s beautiful and smart, she’s strong despite her clumsy disposition.”

Ryou pouted and they both laughed. Sans turned his head to cough, he put his hand to his head and swooned a bit, “Heh, sorry…”

“Sans, maybe I should take you upstairs?” Ryou said worriedly. 

He shivered a bit but shook his head, “Nah, I’m good. See?” He gave her his best smile but suddenly went into a coughing fit. “Damn it…” He mumbled under his breath between his coughs.

Ryou snickered to herself, “Honey, let me take you back to the room so you can rest. You’re still very sick.”

“N-No, I’m fine! Really, I want to hang out and talk with you and Frisk.” Frisk crossed their arms and gave him a stern look. Sans groaned, “Kid…not you too…” 

Toriel returned with the tea and handed Sans his mug, “Here you are.”

Sans mentally thanked her for distracting the other two as he took a sip but pulled back with tears in his eyes, “Holy shi-cow that’s hot!” 

They all giggled a bit as Toriel apologized, “I’m so sorry Sans, I used fire magic to make it.”

“No big deal, I’ll just wait for it to cool down.” He just decided to hold the mug in his hands. “What’s Papyrus up to in there?”

“Making spaghetti.” Everyone said in unison, except Frisk who signed it. They all began giggling to themselves. 

Ryou then looked to the front door as it opened and Nova walked in, he looked a little…drained. Ryou got up from her spot on the couch, went to the closet, and grabbed a spare blanket before walking over to Nova who gave her a look as she unwrapped and drew it around his shoulders, “Come warm up, Toriel made some tea.”

He gave a weak chuckle, “Sure…”

She looked back at the others who were talking at the couch before she said, “Did it spread again?”

He nodded, “I’m alright now.”

She pouted, “You talked to Alphys?”

“Yeah, I’m going in a few days to see her. She’s busy with something in the lab and said I’d have to wait so…” He trailed off. 

“Okay good, are you…gunna be okay?”

“Hmm? Yeah, I’m fine.” He chuckled before ruffling her hair. “Come on kid, this isn’t anything new.”

“I know that, bonehead, I mean…” She sighed. “Are YOU okay?”

He looked confused but then realized she was referring to him and not THEM, “O-Oh…um…” His cheekbones turned purple as she sunk a bit into the blanket, “I’m good.”

She smiled, “Good, then let’s go relax, maybe we can pull out some games?”

“Sounds like fun.” He let her lead him to the couch before setting him down going to the kitchen. She returned with the tea and handed a cup to him, “You really don’t need to do this, kid…”

“Are you complaining?”

“N-No! Not at all I just-“

“Then shush and drink your tea.” She said sternly but she couldn’t help smiling. 

Sans chuckled, “You were out there for a while, I was worried. You look pretty chilled to the bone.”

“Icy what you did there.” Nova grinned at him. 

“Hey, freezing to death is snow laughing matter.”

“It’s just a little snow. Snow happens weather you like it or not.”

“You’re Un-brrrr-lievable, I’m glad you came back inside though.”

“Snow place like home, am I right?”

Papyrus screamed in irritation from the kitchen, “WOULD YOU TWO STOP THAT?!”

“Snow problem, Paps.” Nova laughed. 

“OH MY GOD!” Papyrus screeched. “THAT IS IT! I WILL NOT BE SPEAKING TO EITHER OF YOU FOR THE REST OF THE NIGHT!”

“Aww, bro, no need to give us the cold shoulder.” Sans chuckled.

“I WISH YOU WEREN’T SICK SO I COULD TOSS YOU OUTSIDE INTO THE SNOW!” 

“You guys, stop with the puns, we’re upsetting Papyrus.” Ryou giggled. 

 

“WAKE UP! SANTA WAS HERE! SANTA!” 

Ryou and Sans jolted awake at the sound of Papyrus’s booming voice, sitting up and looking at one another sleepily before shrugging and giggling to themselves. Sans pulled on his sweater and wrapped Ryou in a blanket, picking her up bridal style and carrying her down the stairs, ignoring her giggling protests of “I have legs Sans, I can walk!”. Thanks to Toriel’s herbal tea, Sans woke up feeling absolutely energized and, in all honesty, better than he had in a while, and since Ryou had taken such good care of him, he opted to return the favor by letting her be extra lazy. 

“ABOUT TIME YOU TWO GOT UP!”

Nova came in from outside and waved, he looked exhausted. He let out a loud yawn before waving, “Mornin’…”

“Merry Christmas, Nova.” Ryou practically beamed at him. 

“Jeez, if you keep smiling so brightly like that I’ll go blind.” He snickered.   
Sans set Ryou on the couch and curled up against her, “Look at all those presents, did Santa bring everyone a gift, or just Papyrus?” Sans asked, giving a big lazy yawn. 

“THIS ONE IS FOR YOU BROTHER!” Papyrus said cheerfully as he quickly handed Sans his gift. 

“Sweet.” He opened it to find a shirt inside. It was white, as far as he could tell, but in large blue letters it said ‘Worlds Laziest Dad’. 

“You like it?” Ryou asked, a little hesitant. 

He chuckled and wiped his eyes on his sleeve, “I love it.” 

“Oh! This one is for Nova!”

Nova looked genuinely surprised, “For…me?” He took the gift with surprise. “I…don’t know what to say.”

“Open it.” Ryou said a little excitedly. 

He eyed her then tore into the gift. His eyes widened as he pulled out a scarf…a blue and orange scarf. Nova picked it up and held it in his hands, feeling the fabric against his bones. His body trembled a bit, “Damn it kid…” He laughed. “You’re making everyone cry today.” He wrapped it around his neck and nuzzled the fabric. “Pap would’ve…been so jealous. Thank you.”

Papyrus opened his gift and gasped, “A NEW APRON? AND WHAT IS THIS?” He pulled out a shirt and gasped. “IT SAYS, ‘THE BEST BROTHERS ARE PROMOTED TO UNCLES’. WOWIE! IS THAT TRUE, SANS?”

“Yup, you’re the best after all.”

Ryou leaned in to whisper to Sans, “You have another gift.”

“Do I?” 

She nodded, a shy smile appearing on her lips, “You’ll have to get it when we’re alone, can’t have the other’s seeing.” She winked. 

“I think I like what you’re implying.” He murmured quietly against her cheek as he turned to give her a kiss. “I’ll be patient.”

The rest of the presents consisted of ketchup bottles, games, clothes, and when all was said and done the three boys gave one another a knowing look and got up. Ryou watched a little confused as they went to the closet and opened the door. That’s when they began pulling out more gifts and Ryou put her hand to her head. 

“Wow, you guys really went all out this year.”

Nova put his hands on his hipbones, “These are all for you.” He chuckled with a wide grin. 

“Wait…what?”

“Yup, we all went out and bought you some things when you weren’t looking. We all thought since you’ve been so great that we’d…spend mostly on you.”

“INDEED! WE PULLED TOGETHER AS A TEAM AND GOT YOU THESE WONDERFUL GIFTS!” 

Sans brought the small ones first, “There you go.”

She opened them to find socks, mittens, a sketch book, pencils, a few books, and a ton of baby clothes, blankets, diapers, and bottles. When They brought out a crib 

Ryou held up her hands and laughed, “You guys are too sweet.”

“I’ve got one more for ya.” Sans chuckled and it was then that Ryou noticed the other two had retreated into the kitchen. 

“What is it?”

He reached into his pocket and smiled, “I made something for you, but I was nervous about presenting it. Now is the best time I think.” He pulled his hand out of his pocket and held it out for her. In his hand was a gold chained necklace with a small blue crystal set perfectly in the middle. Ryou’s eyes widened. “Well? What do you think?”

Ryou took it in her hands and studied the crystal, her eyes mesmerized by it’s beautiful blue color, the same color as Sans’s magic. She looked up at him and saw he was blushing heavily, “I love it.”

He visibly relaxed, “O-Oh good, I used a lot of magic making it, I was worried you wouldn’t…like it…” He shifted awkwardly before sitting back down. 

“You made this?”

He nodded, “That crystal is concentrated magic and I wove the gold to hold it…” 

“Your magic?”

“Heh…” He shrugged and turned to her. “Want me to help you put it on?”

She smiled brightly, “Yeah.”

When it hung around her neck, she could feel his magic resonating close to her soul as it hung just above her cleavage. Sans sat back and smiled, “You look really good in blue, I have to admit.”

“DID YOU FINALLY GIVE IT TO HER?”

“Yeah.”

Papyrus cheered, “YOU DID IT, SANS!”

He blushed as Ryou giggled, “Thank you guys for everything.” She suddenly gasped. “I forgot! I had another gift!”

Sans blushed darker, “Maybe w-we should wait-“

“Not that gift, you dork.” She laughed. “It’s for our plus one.” She ran upstairs and into the room to retrieve the gift and came back downstairs. She walked briskly into the kitchen before approaching Flowey. “Hey.”

“What do you want?” Flowey hissed. 

She reached down, causing Flowey to flinch but he relaxed when she wrapped a scarf around his pot and she took a step back, “Merry Christmas, Flowey.” The scarf was green with snowflakes dotting the fabric, it was a warm scarf too. 

He gave her a confused look then he glared, “I don’t understand.”

“Its your Christmas present! I got it for you the other day, and since its so cold here in Snowdin….”

For the first time since Ryou had ever seen Flowey, a look of genuine surprise lit up his face, “Why?”

“Why what?”

He grunted loudly then yelled, “Why are you so nice to me?! I did terrible things to you! I killed people you cared about! I don’t understand! I don’t understand…I…I can’t…understand…” He suddenly shivered and broke down into tears. 

“Hating you won’t bring them back, hurting you won’t make me feel better about what you’ve done…you’ve become helpless like this…” Ryou gave him a gentle smile. 

“You’re a little lost, right Asriel?”

Flowey clung to her hand and cried, she knew he couldn’t feel happiness, but it appeared that regret wasn’t a soul-bound emotion. He tried to talk but he couldn’t through the wave of what was a mirrored version of emotion. The memory of the emotions were enough to trigger them, but kindness, Ryou guessed, wasn’t one of them. After a few minutes of angry pouting and sniffling later, Ryou smiled and asked, “Do you like the scarf?”

Flowey glanced at her, “It’s…not the most terrible one I’ve seen today…”

Ryou laughed, “I’m glad.” She straightened up and put her hands on her hips. “Who wants some hot chocolate?”

Flowey watched while Ryou began making everyone’s drinks and then looked down at the scarf. For a moment, a twinge of something stirred inside him but it quickly dissipated. He frowned but knew this was just how it worked, no matter how much he wanted to, he couldn’t hang onto any positive emotions. But maybe…Ryou really was the key, like Chara said? The fact she was a hybrid made her perfect for their original plan, but…something about the way she’d spared him, something about the way she spoke to him and acted when near him was sincere. 

“I’m…an idiot…” He whispered to himself in irritation.


	20. True Name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late chapter, I've been having wonky internet for the last few days, I have someone coming today to check out what the heck is happening but here's a chapter in the meantime! 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

A month flew by before everyone knew it. Ryou woke up one morning with her belly more rounded and could only sit and wonder if monster children developed faster than human children. Sans hovered over her most of the time, but according to Alphys, it was a normal thing for some monsters to become territorial or over protective over pregnant mates, and it appeared Sans wasn’t an exception. Ryou would’ve found it cute had he not snapped at Nova once or twice in the process, which in turn caused them to bicker and stress her out. So, she opted to visit Toriel twice a week without the brothers to take a moment to breathe. 

“How are you holding up, dear?” Toriel asked as Ryou settled into the large plush couch. 

“Um…worried, a little miserable, excited…uh…” She groaned a bit. “Sans is suffocating me a bit…”

Toriel giggled to herself, “I apologize for that, Skeleton monsters are a little strange in the way they protect their mates. Sans is normally lazy but instinct is telling him to protect you. You have to understand, he’s not trying to upset you or smother you, he feels the need to hover and protect you from the world until the birth.”

“Yeah, but I don’t understand the need to be over protective. Gosh, I can’t get out of the house for two seconds without him worrying.” She put a hand to her head and sighed. 

“You must understand, there is a reason skeleton monsters are so rare nowadays. Many were wiped out during the Great War, in an attempt to increase numbers, there was a program opened to help their species continue to thrive. What few females were left were to birth offspring, their children were to marry the other families children, and so on, but the process for Skeleton monsters to reproduce is…difficult…” Toriel’s face fell as she sipped her tea. “It is a matter of using soul power to create the child and that child must be placed in an artificial womb to be incubated and eventually birthed into new life, but the amount of magic it takes for the process was sometimes too much for them and they would…” She had to stop and take a deep breath. “Sans and Papyrus were born at the time the project was shut down, their mother being the last female skeleton in the underground.”

“Am I at risk…?”

Toriel shook her head, “No, your body is half human, you have all the necessary organs to hold a child, no magic is really needed to maintain it, but the instinct is still there for Sans. Deep down, his instincts are telling him that you and your child are at risk and that he must protect you or you might turn to dust. Once the child is safely in this world, Sans should return to normal. Asgore constantly acted like a mother hen when I was pregnant with Asriel.”

A twinge of guilt hit Ryou, ‘Your son is a homicidal flower…’ She thought sadly to herself. “I guess now is the time to ask questions…” She put her hand over her slightly extended stomach. “How long do I have until…” 

“Oh, maybe two or three more months. Monsters grow very quickly, but as I said before, it comes down to magic and species. Making a new monster is difficult, some more than others. Skeleton monsters take about a month to mature before birth, but since you are half human, you can expect the time to be anywhere from a few more weeks to a few months.”

That sounded fair, it gave her plenty of time to plan…hopefully, “Is there anything I must know about caring for a child that I might not know already?”  
It took a moment but Toriel spoke, “I would say to follow your own instincts, but human children and skeleton children are not the same in how they develop. Once born, they will grow at a normal pace, they will need a mix of your magic and, because your body is human and theirs will likely be too, the milk your body produces for them.”

That explained the issue with her bra not fitting recently, “Alright…” She curled up a bit more and sighed. “You know…when I came here I didn’t expect things to happen the way they did. I didn’t expect to fall so hard for Sans, let alone this.” She pointed to her stomach. “If you asked me before I came here about having kids I would’ve turned into a blushing mess and said something stupid like “Never! I’m too young!” or “Don’t say such crazy things!”…now that I’m sitting here, after all that’s happened to me, I think I’m content. I’ve never been happier…and that terrifies me.”

“You worry because of Chara?”

Ryou gave a shrug and rubbed her forehead, she had a small headache coming on, “How could I not worry? I have a target painted on my back all the time, I can’t leave the house alone…monsters are going missing Tori…”

She nodded solemnly, “I heard from Asgore about it.”

“This is how it started in our timeline, monsters went missing, a few at a time…they’re gaining LV. I’m scared that once they get enough there will be no stopping them.”

“With Nova and Undyne sweeping the Underground looking for Chara, I have faith things will turn out fine. I don’t want to brush it off, but you have your baby to think about.”

“I…see your point…” She grumbled a little. “I just wish I could help.”  
“Things work in mysterious ways, don’t you think?” Toriel giggled, handing Ryou a cup of tea. “You’ll see, everything will be fine.”

 

Nova walked with Undyne through Snowdin forest, a pile of dust was found near the forest’s edge, another monster, a slime monster, disappeared only for Snowdrake to happen upon their remains. Things weren’t looking good…

Nova scanned the trees, “I feel like we’re being taunted…” 

“This kid’s a coward.” Undyne hissed. “Come out and fight us!” She shouted angrily. 

Nova’s senses picked up on a whizzing sound and just had enough time to tackle Undyne out of the way before a red projectile knife struck her. Nova was on his feet in seconds, dashing into the trees, leaving Undyne yelling for him to stop and come back but he ignored her. This kid was his to fight and he wasn’t about to let them go so easily. He dodged projectiles, maneuvered around trees, all the while his magic pulse in his bones and his eye glowed furiously with fire. 

“Come out kid, you’re not getting away from me again!” He snarled. 

Their giggling caught his attention and he turned and teleported away before a wave of blades hit him. He slid in the snow, his boots gripping the ice until he halted and looked up to see them. Their red and black body was unmistakable as a twisted grin gaped at him from the shadows of a tree. He straightened up and grinned. 

“Finally found you, brat.” He grinned, a malicious growl escaped his teeth as he summoned a barrage of bones and attacked. 

Chara jolted out of the way, their smile never faltering as they twisted around the attacks, stretching their half formed body in inhuman ways. They giggled as they attacked, slicing at Nova’s body while managing to dodge his attacks at close range. He was holding his own as well, maneuvering and using his magic to escape their blades. Trees and bushes were torn to pieces, splinters of wood shot everywhere with each attack, before long, this fight would ultimately tear down half the forest. 

“I won’t let you repeat what you did to us.” Nova growled, grabbing Chara by the neck and slamming their head into a tree, staggering them long enough to trap them in a cage of bones. “You took everything from us, you killed my brother, my friends, you orphaned Ryou…” His eye flared up into a massive flame of hot white color.   
“What’s the point?”

That made Chara laugh, pressing their face into the bones of their cage, “Don’t you know how to have a little fun? This is just a game, you stupid skeleton. You don’t even understand who’s REALLY pulling the strings now, do you? It’s so funny! I guess I could tell you, but it wouldn’t make a difference.” They shrugged then slammed their body against the cage, cackling. “I don’t care about your stupid happy ending, what could you possibly gain by going up there? The surface is filled with demons like me, what makes you think they would be happier there, hmm?”

“I don’t give a damn about the surface anymore, Chara, the only happy ending I see is you gone and Ryou safe. If we’re all stuck down here until the end of time, so be it, but I won’t let you hurt anybody I love again.”

Chara grinned. “Then why don’t we stop this and come to an agreement?”

 

“I don’t make deals with demons.” He scoffed.

“Hear me out,” They insisted. “Let’s make a deal; in exchange for Ryou’s soul, I give you back your brother?”

‘Nova’ made a growling sound, ‘What?!’

‘They cannot be serious, my daughter isn’t some bartering chip, and besides, they don’t have the ability to bring a monster back from the dead.’ Gaster hissed. 

“You’re funny.” Nova chuckled humorlessly. “You can’t raise monsters from the dead, idiot.”

Chara held up their hand and a white soul flickered dimly in their palm, “Do you believe me now? Funny what you can discover from that true lab.” Nova felt it then, the hatred in his soul spreading. He winced and reached into his pocket for his cigarettes only to find his pocket empty. His eyes widened as Chara held up the carton,   
“I’ll throw these in as a bonus.”

“When did…?” Nova wondered angrily.

‘Shit…’ Gaster murmured nervously.

‘That kid is asking for a bad time!’ ‘Nova’ roared angrily.

Nova clenched his fists, “So you were eavesdropping, huh? Figures that was you.”

They giggled, the sound was horrifying, “I can’t make a bargain without a little leeway. Besides, you blamed Ryou for what I did and you’re still trying so hard to keep me from them; why is she to you, anyway? She chose this timeline’s you over YOU, and you’re still protecting her? You’re still the same stupid skeleton from before.”

Nova felt something snap inside him and he suddenly doubled over with empty laughter. He put his hand to his head before he straightened up and his laughs turned to malicious cackling, “You’re pretty stupid for someone with so much determination. You really still believe I’m THAT Nova? That’s hilarious.” He grinned, licking his now sharpened teeth and relishing the flash of fear on their face. He moved, grabbing Chara by the neck before slamming them into the ground with enough force to kill the average human, sending a puff of dirt and snow flying everywhere. He stared down into their eyes. “I may have taken on the name Nova, but the name I was given, my TRUE name….is Void. I’m not a Sans, nor a Gaster, but an entity that was born through the hatred of one thousand angry monsters.” His grip tightened around their neck and he groaned, the look of pure terror on their face was pure bliss. “God, I almost forgot how good it felt to have control again.”

‘Gaster, he’s slipping!’

‘I know, hold it back!’

“So, you can barter, you can beg, but all I want is the pleasure of hurting you. I’m not burdened with monster kindness, not like ‘THEM’, all I want is to see you cry and scream, I want the delicious sounds of you begging for your life! I want to watch the life slip away while I crush your windpipe.”

“Did Core give you that name?” They choked out. “Figures, since you’re empty inside. How fitting.” They turned into a jelly mist and ran from his grasp. “I’ll let you live for now, ‘Void’,” They mocked. “But I’ll have the True Soul soon enough. Count your days, they’re numbered.” With that they disappeared, leaving the cigarettes at his feet. There was something so unsatisfying about the way that had ended. 

He forced himself to pick up the cigarettes and popped one into his mouth, lighting it and letting the hatred slip away. He let out a breath of fresh air and snickered, “You two okay? Thought I’d given in?”

‘I’ll admit, I was worried.’ ‘Nova’ chuckled a little breathlessly.

Gaster sighed, ‘That was too close, but now that you’ve scared them, I think we might have an advantage.’

Nova chuckled, “And what makes you think they were so scared?” He began walking back to Undyne. 

‘Chara loves to fight as much as they love to kill, fleeing isn’t something they do.’ ‘Nova’ chuckled.

‘You used your True Name as well, and it is a name that is not taken lightly.’  
Nova shrugged, “It is my true name after all, but let’s be honest, Nova is much less empty sounding.” He chuckled at his own pun. “Such a shame though, I would’ve loved to see them suffer, if just…a little longer.”

There was suddenly loud crunching rushing towards him. Undyne jumped out of the trees, spear in hand, “WHERE ARE THEY?!”   
Nova help up his hands and chuckled, “Just me, sweetheart.”

“Don’t be cute with me, Nova.” She hissed. “Where’d they go?”

“They got away, much to my irritation.” Nova sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets. “Let’s report what we have and head home, it’s late and I’m…exhausted.”

Undyne looked at him a little confused, “Yeah, you look like you got your ass handed to you. Did they fight you?”

He shrugged, “Sorta, but I’m fine. A little sleep and Ryou’s cooking should perk me up.” He winked. 

She rolled her eye as they walked out of the trees, “I don’t know how they got away, but seeing how exhausted you look, you fought pretty hard. You’re really awesome if you made them flee.”

Nova looked back at the trees before grinning, “Yeah, I’m sure next time we’ll get them.”

 

Sans bounced his leg as he sat at the table waiting for Ryou to return home from Toriel’s, he couldn’t help that he was so on edge when she was out of his sight. 

Papyrus and Flowey were doing a puzzle together when Flowey suddenly growled, “Would you stop bouncing your damn leg? I can’t concentrate!”

Sans paused and looked down at his legs, “Sorry, I’m just a bit nervous.”

“Stop being so paranoid, it’s not like she’ll be by herself. You know Toriel and Frisk are with her, stop worrying and go do something other than sit there and stare at the front door!” Flowey hissed. 

The front door suddenly opened, causing Sans to jump to his feet only to scowl when he realized it was just Nova, “Hey, how was it out there?” Nova looked over at   
Sans and everyone in the room froze, “Whoa…dude, are you okay?”

“Hmm…?” 

“I asked if you were okay.”

Nova shrugged, “Nothing a little TLC won’t fix, come here Sans, snuggle with me.” Nova teased as he flopped onto the couch. 

Sans rolled his eyes and shuffled into the livingroom and raised a boney brow at his friend, “You look like shit.”

“Thanks, I feel like it too.” Nova snickered before pressing his arm over his eyes and letting out a hiss as his bones relaxed and his joints throbbed. “Chara’s a slippery little shit, makes it twice as hard when they attack and you aren’t expecting it.”

“You confronted them?” Sans could understand the cuts and scraps now. “What happened? Did they-?”

“Before you finish that sentence: Yes, I fought them, and no, we couldn’t capture them…” Nova looked up at Sans. “They used Gaster’s research and revived my brother’s soul…”

“WHAT?!” 

“Yeah, they wanted to make a deal in exchange for Ryou-“  
Sans grabbed Nova by the jacket, “You better not have-“

“Dude,” Nova pushed Sans off him with a irritated grunt. “You think I would do that to her? She’s Gaster’s daughter, ‘Nova’ practically raised her, and she’s my friend, she’s not just for you pal.”

Sans took a deep breath to calm himself, “You’re right, she’s not mine and mine alone, but you have to understand why that would upset me.”

“I get it.” Nova sighed. “You’re hormonal and confused.” He snickered when Sans gave him a dirty look. “I refused and ruffed them up a bit, they got scared and left, end of story.”

“They just…ran?”

Nova nodded and leaned against the couch cushion, “Pretty funny too, I’ve never seen them so freaked out.”

Sans eyed him warily, “Yeah…” Something about the vagueness of his story felt off, but Sans felt it best not to pester him. “Well, glad you’re back.”

“Ryou still with Toriel?”

Sans nodded and sat on the other end of the couch, “Yeah, but she should be home soon.”

“Good, I’m starving.” Nova groaned. 

Sans chuckled, “Then go cook, lazy ass.”

“I don’t have an ass, and neither do you.”

They laughed and Papyrus looked in from the livingroom, “I’LL COOK FOR YOU! RYOU TAUGHT ME A FEW NEW RECIPES AND I WOULD LOVE TO TRY MAKING THEM AGAIN!”

Nova and Sans both grinned, “Sure bro, sounds great.” Sans chuckled before turning back to Nova. “After you eat you should go have a shower, you’re covered in dirt.”

Nova looked down at himself and chuckled, “Heh, I’ll go take one now, I might as well.” He yawned before heading up to the bathroom and closing the door behind him. 

Sans just shook his head and relaxed against the cushions. If he took a nap, Ryou would be back by the time he woke up, right? 

Ryou got home and sighed as she entered the warmth of the house, Frisk and Toriel behind her as they walked in and closed the door behind them. Frisk and Toriel went to the kitchen to make tea while Ryou kicked off her boots and went to the couch to find Sans snoring on the couch. She leaned down to kiss his forehead when arms grabbed her and pulled her onto the couch. Sans smirked down at her as she laughed, “Welcome back.” He nuzzled her. “Have fun?”

“Yeah. I talked to Toriel about your behavior recently,” She giggled when he blushed and his smile wavered. “I think I understand now why you’ve been so clingy…I can’t blame you.”

He brushed her hair out of her face and smiled, “I’m sorry if I’m being difficult, but I’ll promise you now I’ll try my best to be lazier.”

“Sans, that’s not what I meant at all.” She laughed. 

He stiffened and looked down at her stomach and placed a hand on it, “Your stomach got bigger-don’t look at me like that I’m not calling you fat.” He chuckled and smoothed his hand over her stomach. His eyes widened. “I can see that overlapping soul thing Toriel was talking about, now that they are more developed I can see it more clearly.”

“We still don’t know what it means.” Ryou sighed and buried her face in Sans’s shoulder. 

“We won’t know until their here I guess.” He said, though his voice was a tad nervous. “Are we…gunna be good parents?”

Ryou pulled back and smiled nervously, “I have no idea, Sans…I was worried about the same thing.”

He pressed his forehead to hers, “Heh…I wasn’t so bad with Paps, I think we’ll be okay.”

“Our baby’s going to be part human, Sans, don’t forget that.” She reminded him. 

He kissed her gently, “How could I forget? You’re half human side is the part of you that made you so unique.”

She pouted, “Do you dislike my monster side?”

“Not at all, I love all of you.” He purred and nuzzled her neck. 

She giggled, “Sans, you’re tickling me!”

“Come on guys, there’s a kid in the house.” Nova said as he descended the stairs and yawned loudly. 

Sans sat up but kept her against him, “Why don’t you relax and take a nap or something?”

She shrugged, “Maybe I will, I have been feeling a little tired today…”

Nova plopped down on the couch and smirked, “You drink Toriel’s herbal tea? No wonder you’re tired.”

“Just something to help me relax.” Ryou mumbled against Sans’s hoodie. 

Sans stroked her hair until she was asleep, it didn’t take long either, “She’s already out.”

“Heh, she falls asleep pretty fast, should’ve seen her growing up. Kid would pass out wherever she felt like it.”

They chuckled as Frisk bounded into the room and pouted when she noticed Ryou asleep. She crawled up and sat between everyone and signed, ‘When’s the baby coming?’

“Whenever they decide they’re done cooking.” Nova shrugged. 

“Hopefully not much longer.” Sans assured her. “Don’t worry, you guys are the first to know when things start happening.”

Frisk’s excited smile made him blush, ‘You’re gunna be a good Dad.’

“Think so? I’ve been reading a few…books in my down time. Hopefully I’ve learned enough about raising a kid with Papyrus that I won’t need to learn much more…then again, what worries me is that human part. I’m still learning about humans…”

“No worries, I’ll help ya.” Nova offered, turning himself to look at Sans. “I mean, Ryou was six when she fell, so I didn’t have diapers to change, but I know a thing or two.”

Sans looked at Nova and nodded gratefully, “I could use all the help I can get.”


	21. Void

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here he is, the boy himself, the True Boy. It cuts off just as Nova saves Sans from Possessed Ryou for a reason. We're just taking a skip through Void's origins...
> 
> Enjoy!  
> ____
> 
> PS: I threw out my back a few days ago and have been stuck in bed. I managed to write this, so I hope this...might clear up any confusion ^(>3<)>  
> Or cause more confusion, who knows lol

He opened his eyes to the nothingness around him and a flood of flashes of light, memory, emotion, and pain filled his body until a voice rang out into the blackness; his voice?. Who was he? Where was he? How did he get there and…what was he? Nova? Gaster? Sans? Who was he?! He curled inward to see the bones that made up his body and his eyes widened. He reached up, feeling for what was his face. There was a lot more than one person inside him…he could feel them writhing in his soul. His…soul? 

He let it exit his bones, let it shimmer and pulse as it attempted to pull itself together again to no avail. The pieces were not of the same soul, they would not fit together, not entirely so. He watched as strings began to link themselves to the shards, hooking them and circulating magic throughout its damaged form. Why was it broken? What happened to it? And…what was that black piece?

It began glitching, causing him to cry out in fear, attracting someone’s attention…more than one someone. Suddenly there were people standing around him, all looking familiar yet different in so many ways. He looked around, terrified about the concerned looks and shocked faces staring down at him as if he was some kind of spectacle. That’s when THEY appeared. 

“I’ve never seen you before.” They tilted their head at him. They wore the same face as the others, but this one was different somehow…the lights in their sockets were constantly changing shape and color as they stared down him. They seemed confused, “Where did you come from?”

“I…” He scrunched his face a bit, a little startled by his own voice. He reached up and touched his neck. He looked at the figure before him, “Who…am…I?”

That seemed to startle the figure, they touched their chin as they began trying to think, “That’s weird, most of the Sans and Papyrus that come through here are well aware of their identities…” They mumbled to themselves before kneeling in front of him. “Can you remember anything? Any names? Anything about your universe?”

He tilted his head, “My…Universe?” Then a flood of memories suddenly crashed through his skull until he doubled over and let out a mangled cry, holding his skull tightly. “N-No!” He screamed out as the memories of death and pain overwhelmed his mind. They were all dead…all dead… “Dead…everyone’s…no…please…no more! Make it stop! MAKE IT STOP!” 

“H-Hey, buddy, you’re alright-“

He suddenly looked up as her face appeared in his mind. Her. What was her name? Find her! Find…who? Who was she? Why did he need to find her? What was her name?! “I have to…find her…”

“Who?”

He grunted as he struggled to remember, “She needs…she needs me! Who…is she? Why…” He rubbed his hands over his eyes and let out a whimper. “Why can’t I remember?!”

The figure sighed and took a seat in front of him, then waved to the others, “It’s okay, I’ve got this one.”

One figure, a shorter more bubbly looking skeleton piped up, “SHOULD I GO GET CORE, INK?”

“Yeah, that would be great, Blue.” So his name was Ink? “So, you can’t remember anything, right? Mind if I see your soul?”

He shrugged a bit as Ink reached his hand out and pulled it from his ribs. The look of pure confusion and ultimate shock on his face was palpable, “What the hell?” He looked at it closely, inspecting the shattered pieces held together by tiny diamond-like strings of magic held together…to one single black shard. “I’ve never seen a soul like yours before. I’ve seen shattered souls, I’ve seen broken, chipped, corrupted…but nothing like this…” 

There was a faint popping sound and there was suddenly another person there, though their features were obscured slightly, “You called-oh…a newcomer?” This must be Core. 

Ink looked at Core with wide eyes, “I’ve never seen anything like this before, Core. Something’s crazy wrong with his soul.”

‘Ungh…’ A voice croaked from his mind. ‘The hell…?’

He gasped and put a hand to his head, “Who…who just…?”

Ink looked confused, “Something wrong, bud?”

‘Where am I? Gaster? What happened?!’ The voice shouted angrily. 

“Gaster…” He murmured, making both Core and Ink tense up. “Who are you?”

‘…Who am I? Who the hell are you?!’

“I don’t know…” He admitted. “Who am I?”

Core folded their arms, “I see, so that’s what he is.”

“What?” Ink asked, looking over his shoulder at them in confusion. 

“He’s an amalgamate.” 

“This guy? How so? I mean, sure he has Sans’s face and Gaster’s scars but he’s no G. And his soul is incredible, I’ve never seen something so broken yet so well held together.”

Core shook their head, “He’s nameless, he’s new.”

Ink’s eyes brightened and a gasp escaped him, “N-New?! B-But I haven’t made any new AU’s! I made a deal with Error, remember?”

“Yes, but that is only between the two of you. There is no saying that a new AU cannot, in theory, create itself…or in this case, a new Sans. But from what I can tell, those shards of his soul are not his. All except the black one in the middle”

Ink, upon closer inspection, realized Core was right, “So what do we do with him? And what do we call him?”

“He was born in the void, therefore the name Void would be most fitting, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Void…?” He murmured the name, testing it on his tongue. “My name is…”

‘Nova, I’m NOVA!!! Not Void!’ The voice hissed. 

“Nova…my name? Their…name…our name…” Void’s voice drifted for a moment. 

Ink’s eyes widened and he gasped, “Wait, did you say Nova?” He pulled out a small black notebook and began scrolling through pages. “Nova…Nova…ah ha!” He began reading quickly before slowing down until he was still, hands shaking. He let out a sad sigh, “You’re Nova…aren’t you? Or…was?”

‘What the hell do you mean ‘was’?’ The voice asked worriedly. 

“What do you mean ‘was’?”

Core looked at Void sympathetically, “What AU is Nova from?”

“Ryoutale.”

Core inspected Void once more, “Did you ever create an AU that made it possible for monsters to absorb monster souls?”

“Well technically the only one from Ryoutale that could absorb a monster soul was Gaster, but only through incredibly complex means. A certain criteria had to be met…” He trailed off a bit. “So…he’s not just an amalgamate?” 

Void felt his soul catch fire at the name, “Ryou…” He whispered then suddenly his head felt like it would split into two. He let out a startled scream as memories flooded his skull once more, “R-Ryou!? Ryou!” He screamed as he got up and looked around desperately. “Where…where is Ryou? Who is…why can’t I-!?”

‘Those are MY memories, asshole! And she’s in the Alpha timeline as we speak, so cool your fucking jets…’ Nova sighed in irritation. ‘When I made that stupid deal with Gaster I didn’t expect to get sealed out of my own body let alone share my memories with this idiot.’

There was a pop and another voice rang out, ‘Goodness…what in the world…?’

‘Oh finally! Morning sunshine! Great news, you fucked us both!’ Nova laughed dryly. ‘Ain’t that a peach?’

‘I seem to be a little lost, what do you mean?’ 

“There’s two voices now…?”

Ink looked at Void curiously, “Voices?”

“Nova…and…Gaster?”

‘Ah, I see what you mean.’ They said formally. 

Nova growled, ‘Why is he in my body!?’

“Gaster…” Void said looking up at Ink, obviously confused. “Why are they in my head?”

Core spoke up, “Let’s find out what happened. Gaster? Can you hear me?”

‘Yes, I can hear you loud and clear.’ Gaster chuckled. 

“He says yes.”

Core smiled, the sight of it sent a small chill down Void’s spine, “Good, what happened? Why are you and…a large amount of monsters all combined inside of Void’s shattered soul?”

‘That is a very good question…’ Gaster admitted. 

“That’s a very good question,” Void mimicked. 

‘I suppose it is safe to say that when Nova absorbed my soul it brought one thousand monster souls together that I had already absorbed in my attempts to free myself from the void…I suppose that combination was unstable and in order to stabilize itself the shards formed a new soul to house all of us? But in doing so created a new being of its own?’ Gaster theorized.

‘Son of a bitch…’ Nova groaned quietly. 

Void relayed the message and Core put a hand to their forehead, “You actually absorbed the other Gasters? What the heck were you thinking?!”

‘They were willing if it meant stopping the genocide.’ 

“They were willing if it meant stopping the genocide.” Void said, then suddenly gasped as more memories flooded his skull in a rush. The machine, the long nights, the days spent with…someone…love blossoming…a child…Ryou…Gaster’s child… The rush of memories were painful but these forced tears out of his eyes. When he touched them more memories began cropping up. Blood was dripping onto his fingers, then glitching away, the feeling of a fresh cut across his torso ached then disappeared…then their face…

Void let out a low growl, his eye starting to flare up in a purple mist until it raged into a violet inferno, “CHARA.” He felt angry as hate filled him. 

“Uh…C-Core?” Ink said, sliding away from Void cautiously. “His soul is turning black…”

Void suddenly doubled over, blackish red bile suddenly gushing from his mouth and eyes, “I’ll…K I L L T H E M.” He let out a scream of rage and agony as his bones cracked and began fading from white to black, the darkness slowly absorbing his bones little by little. His teeth sharpened and a low demonic snarl erupted from his maw. 

‘NARCO ROOT!’ Gaster suddenly shouted. 

“N…Narco…Root…?” Void’s voice was distorted as Gaster desperately began to shout through him. 

‘Give him cigarettes with Narco Root! The effect of the suppressant will force back the corruption without killing us!’

“C-Cigarettes…”

Ink pulled a large paintbrush from his back and drew a carton of herbal cigarettes, “Okay, now how do I get one in his mouth without getting my hand bitten off?” He pulled one out and lit it, then took a breath and tackled Void. “Open up, bud!”

Void felt the cigarette between his teeth and the scent made the agony slow to a stop. He took a long drag then began coughing hard. With each cough the corruption faded until it was nestled inside the singular black shard once more. Void returned to normal, smoking the cigarette like it was a lifeline until there was nothing left and he could only lay on the hard dark floor, shaking slightly. 

“Whoa, didn’t see that coming…” Ink admitted, “We need to get that under control, buddy.”

Void groaned, “What happened to me?”

“Hatred is incredibly powerful. Monsters can’t feel much due to their kind and loving nature, but that doesn’t mean they can’t find it in themselves to hate, if only a little. You have one thousand pissed monsters inside your body, all of which are very capable of hating. And because of that your soul created that black shard to house all of it. It appears to spread when you feel hatred towards something or someone, so we’re going to figure out a way to help you.”

‘What about Ryou? I have to make sure she’s okay!’ Nova’s desperate voice cut through the pain in Void’s skull.

“Ryou…” Void murmured softly, blushing a little at the memory of her face. “I have to protect her…”

“Don’t worry, one day out there is two weeks in here, time flows differently inside the Void so you don’t have to worry too much about being stuck here. And when you learn to control yourself better, Ink here can escort you to the Alpha timeline. Just be sure not to intervene unless it’s absolutely necessary, alright?”

“Okay but…would it be okay just to call me Nova? The name Void sounds a little…empty.” He admitted, then tilted his head in confusion when Ink laughed at his unintentional pun. 

“Sure Bud, whatever makes you happy.”

 

Nova was trained for a year by Ink to not only fight physically but with his magic. Ink was surprised at the devastating power of his gaster blasters, each one a different color and shooting a beam of light that would do different kinds of damage. He had two forms as well, if the corruption spread too much he would become overrun with hatred and become a husk of pure rage, but if he controlled it well enough, he would turn into a killing machine, trading defense for pure offensive attacks. During this time, Nova began to piece together who he was and began to mold into his own person, with some fun traits from his predecessors.

He built up his own charm, flirted with Ink from time to time to get a rise out of him. He found himself feeling ultimately ready to kill Chara and Flowey, no holding back and no mercy, but Ink was hell bent on making sure Nova was completely mentally prepared for the task ahead, “If what you explained is true, they could be jumping from AU to AU and gaining LV…if they become too strong I don’t know if stopping them outright will be possible…”

“No worries, Inky Boy, I’ve got enough strength to tear their head from their tiny shoulders a thousand times over.” He grinned a little maliciously. “I can’t wait to feel their blood on my hands.”

Ink inched away slowly, looking at Nova warily, “Riiiight…well anyway, you’re only going in to observe for any Chara or Flowey activity, under no circumstances are you to involve yourself in the affairs of everyone else unless absolutely necessary, got it? We can’t go changing the AU’s too much or the Alpha timeline will veer off into another AU, got it?”

“Come on, I’m the epidemy of stealthy.” Nova chuckled and shoved his hands into his pockets. “And don’t worry, I won’t lose control again…”He looked at the ground. “After tearing your arm off I think I’ll keep a better eye on that. Lucky for you that you could just paint up a new limb, huh?”

Ink put his hands on his hips, “Sure, if you’d like to consider that lucky.” He laughed before opening a portal. “Here you are, the portal. Just don’t forget, if you run out of cigarettes, there’s Narco Root growing in Waterfall, you can make your own with Gaster’s help.”

‘Indeed.’ Gaster agreed. 

“Okay mom, I’m off to school now. I love you!” Nova laughed as Ink grunted and all but shoved Nova out of the void and into the portal where he fell to the ground with a puff of snow on his back. He gave Ink a cheeky grin and wave as the portal closed above him. Now that he was here, what was Ryou doing?

He used shortcuts to look around until he found himself on the roof of…

‘My house…’ ‘Nova’s’ voice was soft. 

“Shh.” Nova shushed him as he locked on laughter. It was her. He climbed forward a little and his soul thrummed in his ribs. She was more beautiful in person…wait…was that…him with her?

‘That is the Sans of the Alpha Timeline.’ Gaster pointed out and smiled fondly. ‘A good kid.’

Nova felt ‘Nova’s’ irritation as he spoke, ‘He doesn’t look like much.’

When they slipped on the ice and Sans landed on top of her, something inside him snapped a bit at the sight of their bewilderment. He grit his teeth a little, “What the hell is he doing?” He hissed softly to himself. “What the is she doing blushing like that?”

‘Jealous?’ Gaster snickered. 

‘Fuck that guy.’ ‘Nova’ growled. 

Nova shook it off and sighed, “I guess…she’s moved on?” The concept, though he’d never personally known her, still stung. He loved her but didn’t understand why. 

‘Moved…on? MY Ryou? Hell no, she’s probably just…just…’ He sounded unsure. ‘Damn it…’ He whispered to himself. 

“You okay?”

‘I’m fine.’ ‘Nova’ hissed angrily, going silent. 

Nova continued to check up on her, things seemed to be picking up intimately between the two and it was setting ‘Nova’ off horrible ways. He was grumpy, but most of all, he was angry at himself. That’s when Nova pieced together what was up. ‘Nova’ had hurt her, he’d done this to himself…

‘Oh stop moping. She’s happy, isn’t that enough?’ Gaster scolded. 

‘…’ ‘Nova’ sighed as they spied on Sans’s confession of their shared kiss after the drowning incident at the lake, then perked up when Asgore’s party was mentioned. ‘That’s it! Let’s go check out this party! Maybe…maybe Ryou will…’

“You’re breaking Ink’s rule by doing that.” Nova pointed out. 

‘Nova’ chuckled, ‘Not if we wear a mask.’

‘Honestly, you can’t seriously be-‘

“Okay, sure. I’ll go, just to make a point she’s changed, she’s got her heart set on this guy and I think we should respect that…even if I’m jealous as hell…” He grumbled the last bit. 

 

That was a huge mistake. Nova teleported away from the party clutching his chest, “Fuck…” He gasped for air then immediately got angry. “What the hell were you thinking, you twit?! Have you lost your fucking mind? You could’ve seriously hurt her! I could’ve seriously hurt her!”

‘I’m sorry okay!? It’s not like I meant to do that, I just lost my shit seeing them like that! I couldn’t help it…I…I got angry…I lost control…’ He was sobbing quietly. 

Nova ran a hand down his face and tore the mask off, “Look, we’re not intervening anymore. That was your last chance.”

‘I just wanted to fix everything! I just wanted…I wasn't thinking!…I just wanted…’ Nova couldn’t help punching a tree to get his frustration out, letting sprinkles of snow land on him as he tried to compose himself. 

“Don’t ever manipulate me to get between them again. I don’t like this shit anymore than you do. I love her too, damn it…”

‘It’s nice to see my daughter has such a lovely line of monsters pining over her, though at this point you’re both stalkers.’

“Oh fuck off…” Nova growled, pulling a cigarette from his pocket and lighting it. 

 

‘At least she’s being safe today.’ Gaster pointed out. 

Nova and his childish companion both jealously pouted down at her as Frisk and Monster kid walked beside her. He knew her and Sans bonded, he could practically smell it on her from there. “They soul bonded…” He sighed and looked up at the rocky ceiling. “Guess that’s it then, huh?”

‘I guess…’ ‘Nova’ mumbled in defeat then sighed. ‘The most we can do now is protect her.’

Ryou suddenly stopped walking and a wave of paranoia washed over him, “Guys? Is that…?”

‘CHARA.’ ‘Nova’ and Gaster hissed.

Nova perched on the branch a little better only to watch Chara jump and stab Ryou as Sans ran out of the house. Everything inside Nova seized as he watched her fall into the snow, “No!” Sans ran to her side and Nova knew he had to act fast. “Can’t believe I’m doing this…”

**Author's Note:**

> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/fantasysspicesart
> 
> I'll be posting art of this story on here when I'm not sick lol  
> (just keep an eye out!)


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